Twisted Attraction
by GinjaSnap
Summary: Set after Edward leaves in New Moon, Bella can't escape her fate as a vampire, now she's a nomad running with the LaPush wolf pack. She & Paul have an arrangement that suits both their needs until the new guy shows up. He can't deny the fact that she's his enemy, he can't resist the attraction. Started as smut, but then a story emerged. Bella/Paul Bella/New Guy, MA!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU START THIS STORY – While I haven't finished writing my first story, I was tackled by an idea for a new one. Seems, I have a little smut writer inside of me that wanted something a little more exciting than my last adventure. That being said, this story is for adults! It has sex, mature content, and other stuff of a NC-17 nature. Please don't put on my conscience the act of corrupting minors with material not fit for them. There are plenty of lovely stories out there for you to read until you get a little older.**

**Now, I'm still using Twilight as a shell for this fic, but we're going to dabble in the werewolf/vampire world and we're coming in after Edward leaves in New Moon. I don't like Edward, I don't want to write a romance novel for him, so I'm not gonna. But, I am bringing in a new character. Hope you guys enjoy! Read and review so I know whether to pursue this thing further. **

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer**

_***** Chapter 1 – Unexpected Viewer *****_

The dry leaves crunched under his feet and he quieted every muscle in his body, straining his ears to listen for any movement around him. His thudding heartbeat was pounding through his mind, and little frosted puffs of air pushed outwards with his accelerated breath. He couldn't track the rhythm of any other heart, aside from his own, in his surroundings, but he knew she had to make a move at some point; he simply needed to quiet the adrenaline surging through his system to find her. But, it was so difficult as he became more excited by the anticipation, mentally drunk on the idea of her taste on his tongue.

Finally a twig snapped to the right of him and his body surged forward on all four feet, taking off towards the sound, heading towards the rocky crags of the shoreline. He caught sight of long mahogany hair twisting between the trees in front of him and pushed his limbs to quicken their pace, closing the distance between wolf and prey.

Her taunting laugh filled the air as she leapt gracefully over the break in the ground, crossing above the little creek that wound through the forest.

"Gonna have to be faster than that. Catch me if you can!" Her voice reached out like the crook of a finger beckoning him closer to her location.

Skidding to a stop as the trees gave way to a clearing, his gaze fell on the female that was backed up against a rock wall, her lithe figure standing out from the shades of white and grey granite that served as a back drop.

Even though she appeared trapped, her eyes weren't darting left and right searching for an escape, no, they locked stares with the mammoth canine stalking towards her. A victorious howl escaped his throat as he lifted his snout into the air.

"If it wasn't bad enough that your foul stench pollutes the air all throughout this forest, must you also offend the ears with your carrying on? I'm sure all your little wolfie friends for miles around heard you."

For all their running, the female in front of him wasn't the least bit out of breath. Then again, that inhuman not needing to breathe trait of hers meant she could run for miles and miles without feeling any exhaustion.

But, the way she smelled? That had changed. True, there was no blood flowing in a panic through her frozen veins, but her heightened scent mingled with his in the air, bolstering his courage to stay the course and quickly close the distance between them.

With a shiver of fur that rippled down his back, Paul was upright, fully transformed and placing his hands on either side of her head, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Hmm, if I had to go by the smell of your arousal, I'd say there's something about the way I smell that appeals to you."

His mouth found its way down the column of her throat, and he placed his hands in the front of her flannel shirt before tearing the material apart, exposing firm breasts and rose colored nipples that contrasted to the paleness of her cool skin. He took one tight bud into his fingers, pinching down and massaging it roughly. The female beneath him had yet to make a sound, but that was part of the fun, getting her to let go of the control she kept a firm grip on.

Contrary to Paul's current train of thought, Bella was already drowning in the sensations his mouth was creating as he had made his way down her body, onto his knees and working at the closure of her jeans. He would take turns using his tongue to trail across her skin and then biting down on her flesh, pulling the material down her legs revealing her nakedness beneath the material.

Not surprisingly, Paul in all his testosterone fueled excitement over chasing Bella through the woods to their meeting place had failed to notice a second set of paws chasing after them. She didn't recognize the scent of this particular wolf and therefore she assumed that he was unaware of how things were in this neck of the woods and saw her as the enemy. She could have easily backtracked and confronted him, but it had been too long since she had released some sexual tension, so she used the intruder to only add to the thrill of today's adventure.

He had come to a halt just short of the clearing, waiting to see what plan of attack Paul had in mind for taking down the female vampire before jumping in to assist. When Paul had transformed, he became confused and the muscles of his back legs coiled to spring forward before feeling an invisible force pinning him to the ground. He couldn't move, not to retreat and run from the clearing or sound a distress call, not even to turn his head. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his racing heart, willing his body to change back to its human form, and finding himself trapped once again.

When he opened his eyes again, it was to stare directly into a pair of amber eyes locked with his. Her gaze seemed to pull him in even further as Paul took one of her legs and lifted it over his shoulder, placing his mouth on her sex. The man's head bobbed with the working of his tongue, and the female's mouth fell open, a low moan escaping across her lips. Paul lifted his head from Bella's body before taking his free hand and running his fingers along her wetness and slipping two fingers deep inside.

Finally Bella broke her gaze from the wolf hidden in the woods and arched her neck back, reveling in the sensation of Paul's heated fingers sliding in and out of her body, his knuckles hitting that little spot that sent a jolt of pleasure through her limbs with each stroke, causing her legs quiver. Feeling her pleasure, his tongue flattened against her clit and picked up a quicker rhythm than his fingers, pulling her body towards orgasm. For a second, it felt as if the sensations would overtake her concentration on holding the shield cage she had placed around the stranger, but she forced her eyes open to meet his gaze once again before coming all over Paul's hand.

In an instant, Bella had pushed Paul back from her and leapt away from the rock wall, her body already in a run. Paul jumped onto her retreating form and tackled her to the ground, not caring about how she fell underneath his weight. She was already rearing up on all fours, her vampire strength giving her the ability to push back, while Paul ripped the remains of her shirt off her back, leaving the two of them naked. He quickly latched his mouth onto her shoulder, biting down while pushing his hardened cock deep into her flesh still wet from his mouth and her release. Bella pushed back into him as his hips started pounding into her body, faster and harder with each thrust.

Paul's mouth released from Bella's shoulder before he took her hair in one hand, pulling her head back, "Fuck, it has been too damn long since I've had you."

"Then why are you holding back? Take me, damn it," was the smart reply that crossed her lips in response.

Paul pulled her up onto her knees, not breaking the connection between their bodies, and gripping her hips, he started moving her up and down on his shaft, "Touch yourself."

Bella placed two fingers inside her mouth, swirling her tongue around the digits before sliding them down between her lips and running lazy circles around her clit. She looked at the beast panting in the grass in the distance and winked at him. Hearing his whimper in reply only spurred on her excitement at being watched, and another orgasm began, clutching onto Paul's cock and bringing him over the edge with her.

Panting over Bella's shoulder, Paul tried to catch his breath, resting against the cold woman that hadn't moved away from him.

"Damn it, I reek of you now, not to mention my clothes are a wreck. This is why I keep a pile of Goodwill finds with your name on them. Because I knew you wouldn't resist ripping and tearing away the material like some animal."

Paul's responding laugh rumbled against her back, "Aw, B, you know you love it. Tell me I didn't give you what you wanted."

"Get off," Bella playfully shoved him off of her before making her way over to her discarded shirt and jeans and picking them up, "Oh, and go tell your new guy to stand down."

"What?" Paul's post-coital haze cleared quickly as he realized, for the first time, that they weren't alone, "Fuck, B, what did you do?"

Bella looked over at the trapped wolf that had closed his eyes as if looking to escape from the scene he was trapped in, "I locked him down. Look, he was going to attack. You would have sensed him if you weren't using the wrong head as your guide. I didn't want the interruption, and I have to admit, he added to the excitement. Who knew I was an exhibitionist?" Placing on hand on her hip, she sauntered over to her prisoner sassily.

"He saw the whole thing?" Paul ran his hand down his face, "Geez, Bella, let him go already."

"Fine, fine, but if he takes a snap at me, I'll make him pay. One of you should have explained that I'm off limits to your wolf protective instinct."

"Sorry, he's new and obviously Jake hasn't gotten around to it."

Bella looked at the russet colored canine, feeling a little guilty about trapping him without warning, "What's his name?"

"Mato, but we all just call him Matt."

Still naked, Bella bent down to look into Matt's face, "Well, it's nice to meet you Matt, hope you enjoyed the show." Laughing at the disgruntled look on the wolf's face and ignoring his responsive snarl, Bella ran off into the forest, releasing the hold she had on the man.

Having exhausted all energy in trying to escape his binds, Matt found himself shaking off his wolf form and becoming human again. Growling, he punched Paul in the shoulder, "What the fuck was that?"

"Um, that's complicated, and I think Jake needs to be the one filling you in on the important parts, being pack leader. So, why don't we go find him?"

Paul quickly fazed back and took off in the opposite direction of Bella, leaving

Matt to follow his lead.

**Told you it was gonna be a little on the naughty side. ; )**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n: So, what's a girl to do when she writes a new story and it barely gets glanced at? *sigh* I suppose such is the life of a writer. Maybe we'll pick up a few more people along the way. Anyhow, this story isn't complete fluff, there's a plot line to be carried out. Thanks for those of you who signed on for this newest adventure!**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

_***** Chapter 2 – How We Came To Be *****_

Mat chased after Paul's retreating form, familiar with the path to Sam and Emily's home. The smell of pasta hit his nose as he neared the back porch. It was just about dinner time and the pack tended to take their meals together.

Paul, still wearing his wolf skin, yipped at the house trying to get the attention of the men inside. Jacob and the other guys had just stepped out into the evening air when Mat came slamming out of the trees and launched himself at Paul's side, tumbling into the wolf and rolling across the ground with him, both animals growling and flashing impressive canines.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Jacob demanded, taking in the sight of the youngest member of his pack attacking one of his brothers.

Embry and Quil quickly phased and blocked Mat from lunging at Paul again, while Paul returned to his human form to answer Jacob's question.

"It seems Mat's missing a little bit of information, and he's a little upset about it," Paul answered.

"Am I to gather from the overwhelming smell of Bella rolling off you that they've met?"

Mat took the few moments of this exchange to phase back and spit out, "If you mean I caught this traitor fucking some leech, then yeah, we've met." His body continued to quiver as if it was caught between forms, the heat of his temper vibrating in the air around him.

Seth, who was standing next to Jacob, started laughing, "Aw, man, you caught them? That's priceless. Care to share the spicy details?"

It was Paul's turn to snarl as he shot a glare and hurled a rock towards Seth, catching the young guy in the chest.

"Ow, fuck, man, that hurt." Seth rubbed at the spot where the rock had made contact.

"Knock it off, all of you." Jacob's voice carried the Alpha timbre that caused all of the men to stand up straight and pay attention, "Paul, go shower off, none of us needs to bear further witness to your afternoon's activities. Mat, cool off and throw on some clothes before joining us for dinner. I'm not explaining anything to you while you're standing naked in the yard."

Jacob turned around and made his way back indoors, pulling Seth alongside before he could ask any more questions. Embry and Quil phased back and walked past Mat, heading out to their vehicles for a new set of clothing, having shredded their's when they changed quickly to help defend Paul from Mat's attack.

"Dude, that was my favorite pair of jeans. You owe me." Embry pointed a finger and jabbed it into Mat's chest before heading back in.

Mat felt like he wanted to howl and pull his hair out at the same time, "Have you idiots lost your freaking mind? There's a vampire hiding out there in the woods and you guys are gonna sit down and eat dinner?!"

Quil snorted in response, "It was just Bella, Mat, and she's no threat to the tribe. If you're so worried, grab your spare clothes and go ask Jake what the deal is."

Mat was left standing out in the yard by himself, still irritated by the lack of response from his fellow pack mates. Since that fateful afternoon where he twisted in agony on the floor of his bedroom before finally giving in to the animal instinct that overtook his body, he had one impulse that seemed to run on loop through his brain – all vampires were to be eradicated. Mat didn't have to question the impulse, he simply followed it, and in return, the tribe would remain safe.

Now some tiny little brunette with freaky eyes and the ability to hold him captive had taken a sledge hammer to his firm foundation. And she wasn't satisfied with just breaking through the surface, no, she'd wedged herself deep into his thoughts with that little stunt of hers. Try as he might, even though his anger flared red hot, when he closed his eyes, he could still see the look of ecstasy on her face as she touched herself while Paul took her from behind, and his dick twitched in response.

_Ah, hell no, I am NOT going there. I'll go drown myself in the ocean before I ever thinking of screwing some cold, dead corpse walking around like she owns the place. I'll pour bleach into my ears, until it saturates my brain and scrubs away those images._

Pulling a navy blue hooded sweatshirt over his head, Mat closed the door to his truck and headed back towards the house, determined to get some answers. He walked in the back door, jaw clenched tight, crossing his arms across his chest and glaring towards his leader, "So, I'm here, start talking."

"Mat, lovely to see you too this evening," Emily arched an eyebrow, "Would you care for some lasagna?"

"No thanks, I'm good," was his clipped response, not breaking eye contact with Jacob's face.

"Let me rephrase that. It's dinnertime, you're a guest in my home, sit your ass down and grab a plate." Emily stared him down with both hands on her hips while his brothers seated around the table chuckled.

Reluctantly, Mat kicked out the feet of the closest chair away from the table and took a seat, but didn't make any further moves to fill the plate in front of him. The other guys stopped eating long enough to glance between Mat and Jacob who was still busy scarfing down his second serving of pasta. It was like watching a tennis match, multiple sets of eyes would glance right then left, waiting to see who would break first. Finally, Jacob wiped his face and took a drink from his glass of water before placing his crumpled napkin on his plate.

"We already told you that there was a group of local vampires that come and go in this area from time to time, yeah?"

"Yes, but you also explained that they were currently holed up elsewhere, _and _we had an agreement with them that they were to stay _off _our land. That female wasn't fifty yards from the local beach. Who was supposed to be on patrol? Why didn't they stop her?" Mat started rapid firing questions Jacob's direction.

"Would you like to shut up and get some answers or would you like to take over as Alpha of this pack and implement your own agenda?" Jacob challenged.

Mat took the sincerity of his tone for what is was and forced his mouth to stop talking.

"Anyhow, Bella was living in Forks the last time the Cullen clan came through. It's the very reason why this pack was formed, in response to their presence. It had been years since we'd had anyone go through the transition."

"Bella, while still a human, befriended the family. Hell, she even fell in love with one of them. But, he was a complete ass, insisted that he was only a danger to her and broke off the relationship before leaving town, and leaving her behind. Bella was a wreck, grieving over that brain-dead idiot after his disappearance. She withdrew from family and friends, took to wandering the woods alone. She stopped being Bella and just became the very living corpse we accuse those monsters of being."

Jake placed his elbows on the table, folding his hands and resting his chin on them before taking a breath to continue, "Bella and I were always friends. We grew up side-by-side, our fathers were best buds, they took us fishing together when we were barely toddlers. It killed me to see how broken she was, and I did everything I could to try and cheer her up. It even worked for awhile."

"But," and with the turning point of the story on the horizon, Jake stared out the window towards the woods, "I went through transition myself. You know how it is, your body is a mess shifting from one form to another, your mind is overwhelmed by all the new sensations, you can't control your emotions. I wasn't in my own mind, let alone could I be there for Bella. I withdrew from our friendship, spending my time with Sam and the rest of the pack or scouting the woods."

"Anyways, we knew there were a few vampires in the area and we were patrolling our borders 24/7. I was out one afternoon and picked up a scent. I alerted the rest of the group and we started to track him down, but somewhere along the way his scent crossed another….Bella's. She had taken off hiking that day. Alone."

Grief took its toll across Jacob's features, and the rest of the men around the table had stopped eating, finding somewhere else to occupy their eyes, whether it was their hands or just a spot on the wall.

"When we got to the clearing, he'd already attacked her and was trying to drink her dry. I don't remember much about taking him down, I just remember hearing the sound of him being torn apart, that shrieking of metal being ripped into pieces. By the time I had slowed down, he was just a mess of torn tissue and bones. I ran to Bella's side, hoping for the best but knowing she was already gone. She was so still and lifeless, blood soaking the collar of her shirt. I didn't know what else to do, I couldn't save her or bring her back, so I just laid down by her side. If only we had moved a little quicker, gotten there sooner…"

"Aw, Jake, is it regretful story hour again?" A female voice questioned from the doorway, breaking the silent tension in the room. Bella stood there in the doorway will a half-smile on her face, meeting Jake's eyes with her own.

Mat jumped out of his seat, spinning so that his back was turned from her, looking like he wanted to pounce.

"Sit back down, Fido. You're not in danger from me. I'd hate to lock you back down again, but I won't have you wrecking Emily's kitchen. She'd make me clean up the mess and rebuild the table before the sun rose tomorrow morning." Bella threw a wink Emily's way before crossing the room to ruffle Jake's hair and place a kiss on the top of his head.

"So, that doesn't explain things. I thought you said when you found her, she was dead." Mat had refused to sit back down, but he had backed up against the nearest counter, crossing his arms again and never letting his eyes leave Bella's moving form.

"No, he thought I was dead, but in fact, the vampire venom had already started working its way through my system. The other vampire hadn't drained me completely, so I still had enough life left in me to transition. Jake had barely settled down next to me before it felt like I was on fire and I started screaming from the pain," Bella grimaced from the memory, "I think he felt he was responsible for what had happened, so he never left my side the entire time as I transformed from human to vampire. Nothing better than waking up to a new life where the only thing you smell is wet dog."

"Yes, and spending two days cuddled up to the screaming banshee was a real picnic," Jake joked back.

"When I came to, I was the blood-thirsty monster you keep rambling on about, sworn enemy to the tribe. But, Jake had pity on me and he was still my best friend. He couldn't destroy me, and it wasn't as if I chose to become what I am. We came to an agreement. I wouldn't feed off the tribe, and the pack would let me live."

Mat snorted, "So what, you just go out in town and find a person or two to murder instead? That hardly seems right."

"With as many times as you and I have stared in each other's eyes today, you haven't noticed anything different?" Bella smirked at Mat's blushing face over her question.

He looked down at the ground, trying to push back the memories that were racing through his brain of just how many times he'd watched her that day. "They're some freaky yellow color, doesn't make you less of a killer."

"True, but it does denote what I eat, which is animals. Not people."

Mat's head snapped up at her last sentence, looking around the table at the rest of the pack. Jake just nodded his head in agreement.

"I've never taken a human life, not in the ten years since the day I was changed. Jake and the rest of the guys served as my guard the first few years, making sure I didn't mess up. To show my thanks, I help protect the tribe as well. Not to mention, they get a little lazy from lack of action if I don't challenge them to a fight now and then."

"Aw, B, you know we're faster and stronger, you've just got that weird shield shit that gives you the upper hand," Seth whined. He'd moved from the table to stand next to Bella, looping an arm around her shoulder, trying to convey to Mat that she was, indeed, family.

"What's he talking about? Your shield?"

"You had first hand experience of that today. I suppose I should apologize for that. It wasn't fair of me to hold you against your will. Sorry." Bella offered the sentiment to Mat, but he didn't think she was really sorry about having him as a captive audience.

Bella continued, "I have the ability to block people out, to literally project a shield around me. But, I can also manipulate it so it pushes and traps things if I want it to, like I did with you today. I can even shield my scent from others, like I'm doing right now. Helps you not want to kill me. Past experience shows that sometimes having me around is too much for your natural instinct and you try and take a bite."

Bella glanced meaningfully at the young man who was towering over her right side. Seth sheepishly lowered his head, "I said I was sorry a million times, B. We got your hand reattached."

The other wolves laughed around the table, but Mat still couldn't let go of the panic that was sitting just under his skin, telling him he was in danger.

"So, Bella, Mat here was telling us that he got a front row seat to the action this afternoon, but he won't share the details." Seth started wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Dammit, Seth, I _do not _want to know. I do not need to hear this." Jacob placed his hands over his ears, and started singing loudly to himself.

"Doesn't matter anyways, they'll all see it first hand from my mind next time I phase." Matt replied.

"Actually, they won't," Bella smiled cockily, "Another little side effect of my gift, I can shield your memories of me. You have them, but you can't share them. They are yours and yours alone." Again she winked at him.

"Yeah, so we already know Paul won't fess up, we were kind of hoping you'd share." Quil had joined in on the teasing.

"No, some of us do not vote for sharing is caring," Jacob gathered the plate of the female next to him and got up from the table and placed his dishes in the sink, "You can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, you know that?" He questioned his best friend.

Bella just smiled in return, "Yeah, but you love me anyways. Wanna go for a run?"

"As if you had to ask," Jake walked back to the table and leaned over to give his imprint a kiss, "Be back in an hour, babe?"

"Yes, yes. Go run and play, but make sure you shower off before coming into the house when you get back. I'm done having to mop up mud from the floors," She returned the kiss, "See you later, Bells."

Bella had suddenly appeared by the girl's side and leaned in for a quick hug, "Thanks, Cali, for letting me borrow him. If he doesn't listen, I will personally kick his ass and make him mop the floors for you."

"As if you could do that"

"Jacob Black, you know I could own your ass and make you do anything of my choosing," Bella challenged.

"_If_ you could catch me." Jacob taunted, heading out the door into the night.

The sound of chairs scraping across the floor filled the air, as the rest of the pack made to clean away the remaining dinner dishes. Mat still stood there at the counter, watching a long braid of brown hair and a curvy little ass of one natural born enemy sway out the door, and feeling that this whole situation was fucked up.

**A/N: Aaawwww, I kind of really love these guys. I hope I enjoy writing them as much as I have so far. I felt the wolf pack made more of a homey family around Bella than the Cullens. Care to review? I heart encouraging words!**


	3. Chapter 3 Me & My Shadow

**Disclaimer: Twilight is Stephanie Meyer's creation. I'm only borrowing what she began. **

_***** Chapter 3 – Me &amp; My Shadow *****_

Bella stretched her legs, eating up the miles with each lengthened stride, feeling Jake keep pace to her left as they made their way up the coast. God, she hated reliving old memories, seeing Jake's guilt threaten to consume him once again.

Waking up a lone vampire in the midst of a wolf pack brought with it a certain tension. On the one hand, Bella was the very thing they were sworn to protect their friends and family from, but on the other, she was their family and friend as well. Some of the guys had demanded her death, Paul being one of them, but Jake's sense of responsibility kept him from ending her life the second time. He thought her dead as she lay bleeding on the grass that afternoon, his grief razor-sharp and clawing at his chest, seizing his lungs so he couldn't catch his breath. He could only lay down by her side, slipping under the waves of sadness and drowning in the loss. When her ear-piercing shrieks yanked him out of the darkness, he felt helpless to comfort her twisted form that writhed in agony, but he also felt hope. There was fear that this new creature would be fueled by a blood lust that would not be assuaged, but there was also hope that some part of the girl he loved was still in there, that Bella would win the fight against the monster within and his best friend would return.

Bella had debated leaving the Pacific Coast to search out others of her kind. She had enough knowledge to try and track down the Cullens, and maybe she could go to Alaska, search out the Denalis, and get them to point her in the right direction. In those early days, she could feel the disgust some of the wolves projected having to share space with a vampire. They would flinch if she came close, turning their frames so they could always keep their eyes on her, never running ahead of her, but remaining behind so she couldn't ambush them from behind. Without Jacob's guilt over her human death and his never-ending efforts to try and make it up to her, Bella would have left the place she once called home behind, but she knew this would leave Jacob heart-broken and refused to be the source of any more of his pain. Instead, she made the most of her days, trying to be more than just a "leech" and endearing herself to the men she now considered family.

The sound of Jacob's labored panting pulled Bella out of her memories and she came to a graceful halt next to a swift-running stream.

Glancing down at the watch on her wrist, she noticed they had been running for a little over half an hour, "Ready to head back? We'll be cutting it close as is, and I really don't want to invite the wrath of Cali if you're late. You'll be sleeping on the couch and she won't be so understanding next time I need a running partner."

Jacob took a long pull from the cool water, ducking his head under the surface, shaking the water off his muzzle onto the female standing close by.

"Ew, you ass, I do not need a shower of creek water and dog drool."

Jacob only wagged his tail and bumped into her side before taking off, back the way they had come. Bella quickly followed, letting him take the lead on the return trip.

Stopping in front of Jacob's house, Bella turned her eyes towards the horizon as Jake shifted and pulled on some shorts he had stowed on the porch.

Once he was clothed, he came over to hug Bella from behind, placing his chin on her shoulder and looking out into the night.

"Jake?"

He yawned in response, weary from the speed of their run, "Hmm?"  
"Promise me you'll let today go and won't be slouching around here for the next few days, feeling guilty."

"What makes you think I would do something like that?"

Bella snorted, "Because you do it every time we have to relive those first few days. And I repeat, I _don't _blame you and I refuse to let you blame yourself."

"Yeah, yeah."  
Bella elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to bend forward, "I mean it."

"Fine, Bells, I will go forth guilt-free."

"Whatever, smart ass. Get in there before your woman locks you out of the house." Bella turned in his arms and gave the towering man a gentle hug, "Love you."

Jake froze in her embrace, smelling the air as Bella heard the sound of paws approaching their location.

"Go on in, I've got this."

Jacob looked out into the tree line around his home, "You sure?"  
"Seriously? I handled myself around an entire pack of haters, I can handle this one newbie to the group."

Jacob stared intently out into the darkness, trying to convey his annoyance over this unexpected arrival before turning and going inside.

Bella didn't bother to turn around and confront her visitor. Instead she headed towards a motorcycle that was parked by Jake's garage.

"Are you planning on applying for the position of being my personal shadow?"

Mat had shifted, anticipating a confrontation from his pack leader, "Something like that. I don't know what you've done to the other guys around here, maybe used your magic to lull them into a false sense of security, but I don't trust you."

"Magic? I'm a vampire not a witch." Bella pulled a pack off the back of the bike, swinging it up onto her shoulders.

"I already know you have special powers. Witch or not, who's to say you don't have some way of hypnotizing the others to believe you're something you're not?"

"Touché. So, you're just going to follow me around? Make sure I don't run off into the night with some sleeping children, cook them into a stew?"

"I'll do what I need to do to make sure the others are safe."

Bella turned to face him, "Fine. Have it your way. I can handle one measly mutt on my tail. Since you're so interested in my dinner, you can come share snack time with me. I won't slow my pace for you, and if you scare off my food, I'm using your ass as my meal replacement. Understood?"

"Lead on, leach."

Bella returned to the woods she had abandoned, her shadow close behind.

Stopping at the edge of a clearing, Bella came to a halt and silently placed her pack onto the ground. In the full moon's light she could see the small herd of deer grazing peacefully, not having caught her scent or sound. She placed her hand up into the air, indicating that Mat should halt his steps before pointing to a fallen tree to her right.

Mat turned his gaze, his lupine eyes falling onto the image of a mountain lion who was also watching the herd of deer, completely unaware of Bella's presence. Without warning, the lion leapt from his perch taking after the herd and jumping onto the back of a young female. Bella stood still as the lion embedded his teeth into the fawn's neck, waiting for the right moment.

Once the animal was distracted, Bella broke through the edge of the clearing, ripping the lion off of the deer's hide. With the disconnection of teeth, the pierced artery of the fallen animal sprayed blood into the air and onto Bella and her new sparring partner. Bella ignored the deer dying on the ground, eyes focused on the lion that was her prey all along.

Mat watched with fascination the action unfolding in front of him. The mountain lion at first was just trying to defend its kill, unaware that his enemy wasn't trying to steal his catch, but was intent on catching him. Hackles raised he swiped at the figure in front of him, as Bella just grinned wickedly at his feeble attempt. Several pieces of hair had come loose from her braid, framing her face. Blood spatter had dried on her skin, and her black tank had several tears just under the shoulder line from the over-sized feline's claws. She radiated a deep dark energy that conveyed death would come soon.

In one graceful leap, Bella jumped over the creature in front of her, twisting around and placing the animal in a deadly hold and latching her mouth onto the animal's jugular. Dragging the animal down to the ground, her eyes closed and her throat worked to swallow the life flooding out her captive's veins. The animal's struggles slowed down before coming to a stop and Mat could see the life leave the animal's eyes. Once drained, Bella let the animal fall to the ground, inhaling the night air before turning her gaze toward Mat's hiding place. Her eyes appeared to have had a flame lit from within, their golden gaze bright and shining.

She quickly made her way over to her pack and returned to the side of the bleeding deer that had been left behind by the rest of the herd. The animal was panting and in pain before Bella quickly snapped its neck and began to remove things from her bag.

"What, you don't need a second course after a big cat?"

"Actually, I don't" Without looking up at Mat, Bella removed a knife and some butcher paper. She inserted the blade into the animal, making quick work of breaking it down into cuts of meat that she would then wrap.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize vampires cooked venison for their meals. I thought you were on a strict liquids-only diet."

Bella could hear the snarky tone color his voice as it traveled through the air, even if the man remained hidden in the trees. Rolling her eyes, she thought, _as if I've never seen a naked man before. _

"Are you always so delightful to be around? With that attitude of yours, I can't imagine making friends is difficult. They must just flock to your charm."

"Are you always such a sarcastic bitch?"

Bella locked gazes, revealing a razor sharp grin, "Absolutely."

Finishing the task at hand, Bella packed the cuts of meat into her bag before standing up, "The mountain lion was enough, so to answer your question, I don't need any more food at the moment. However, I won't let this go to waste. There's a deep freezer behind the reservation's community center that the tribe installed for me. If there's a kill I don't need, I take the meat and place it into the freezer. Emily and Cali use it for the feeding program they run that takes meals to elderly tribe members. I try to keep them stocked as well as I can. Helps reduce the cost of running the program."

Mat couldn't release the chip he was carrying on his shoulder, "Aren't you right in line for sainthood."

"Look," Bella ignored his jab, "I realize what it takes for people around here to accept me, and I will be forever grateful for every moment they choose to include me. So, whether you approve of my activities or think I'm secretly poisoning their food matters little to me. You inquired what I was doing, I answered. Screw you if you don't like the explanation."

Returning the bag to her shoulder, Bella turned in the direction of the center, not stopping to see if Mat would follow.

Mat remained in wolf form, watching as Bella unloaded her kill into the freezer. He didn't want to continue the back and forth snapping at each other, but simply waited for her to finish. He mulled over her actions, knowing the tribe was lucky to have a provider who demanded nothing in return, but resisting the way her actions tried to sand down some of the barrier that kept him from warming up to her.

_That's exactly what she'd want, for me to join the rest and let down my guard. Well I'm not so easily fooled, it's gonna take more than one nice act to convince me._

As if sensing that she wasn't going to get anywhere trying to plea her case to the stubborn male watching her, Bella finished her task without bothering to speak to Mat and once again ran off into the night. This time she made her way to the edge of the river that wound inland from the nearby ocean, dropping her pack at the shore.

Mat didn't bother to hide, but rested his haunches on the pebbled beach. Rolling his eyes, he thought, _what's next, fishing?_

Hearing the shift of fabric, Mat realized he hadn't been paying attention, and turned to see Bella throw her clothing onto the ground before walking nude into the water. She let her body be carried under the moving current and Matt waited as the minutes passed for her to resurface.

_I suppose that can take a little longer when you don't need oxygen. _

He glanced across the river, perusing the shore line to see if she'd tried ditching him by exiting on the other side, but he saw no movement in any direction. Finally he caught her body breaking through the surface, watching as the water slid down the sides of her body, the full moon leaving nothing to shadow.

Mat took in her long dark hair that almost reached her waist, taking note that she'd freed it from the braid she had twisted it into earlier. His eyes skimmed over full breasts with deep rose colored nipples and tapered waist, continuing its path down to the supple curves of her ass and the folds between her thighs. Bella inspected her skin, searching for any trace of the deer's blood that had fallen on it during the evening's hunt. She gathered her hair in her hands, squeezing most of the water out of it, releasing it back to its freefall over her shoulders.

Mat had gotten lost in watching the woman in front of him, for his body saw her as a woman and nothing more. Fur gave way to skin and he found himself standing on the shore, exposed with his cock thickening from the rush of blood that had picked up speed along with his breath.

Bella could hear the change in his heart rate and she took time to run her hand along her breasts and along her stomach, pretending to rub away dirt that wasn't there. Mat caught on to what she was doing too late and having closed his eyes to cut away the image in front of him, he didn't react fast enough to Bella closing the gap between their bodies.

"Mmm, nice manscaping. I know how you wolf boys love to keep everything neat and trim." Bella didn't hide the way her eyes were taking in his hardened length, and she moved her hand as if to touch his body.

"Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me." Mat ground out.

"Oooh, would you prefer to touch yourself? Isn't that naughty?" Bella leaned forward just enough that he could feel her whispered words brush across his skin. In response, his cock only hardened further, aching for attention.

"Go ahead and touch yourself, Mat. Show me how you like it. Do you prefer long slow strokes or are you more into a rough firm grip that picks up speed. Give in to your body, teach me how you find your release." Bella ran her tongue across her lips as she looked into Mat's dark brown eyes. His body trembled under her gaze.

He closed his eyes again, pulling in all the anger he felt at his body's betrayal and Bella swiftly moved backwards as he shifted in a burst of heat and took off into the darkness. She let him go; moving back to her bag to remove a fresh set of clothes and dressed in the moonlight.

She could admit that she was turned on by the exchange. If he had given her the chance, she would have dropped to her knees and let him fuck her mouth slowly, taking in every inch until he found the release his body had wanted. Sure, he harbored this unfounded hatred of her, but that only freed her from having to worry about an emotional attachment. Love wasn't what she was looking for, anyhow. But a well built man who was good in and out of bed? That certainly helped her pass the never ending stretch of days she now lived.

**A/N: So…..a little bit of heat is always enjoyable, no? I love to give her free reign to torment our poor confused boy. Till next time! R&amp;R! **

**XOXO**


	4. Chapter 4 Sudden Loss

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight**

_*** Chapter 4 – Sudden Loss ***_

After the interaction at the river, Mat never returned to his post as Bella's watchman. She continued to weave in and out of the pack's days and knew that Mat was intentionally avoiding her. While she may have entertained the idea of enjoying his body, Mat's absence gave her a reprieve from feeling his angry gaze on her back whenever she got close to any member of the tribe. She could do without his negative vibe hanging in the air.

The rest of the pack dismissed it as his grudging acceptance of her presence, even if he couldn't accept what she was. Jacob was relieved he hadn't been forced into giving an alpha command that Mat leave Bella alone.

Mat was busy trying to avoid any interaction with Bella, and hating himself for the fact that his mind would automatically resort to thoughts of her naked form whenever he wasn't actively engaged in conversation or some task that required his attention. The boys of the pack found it entertaining that his "white spaces" often appeared when they were sharing the pack mind, and had taken to teasing him about his adamant denial of any interest in the female vampire.

"Mat and Bella sitting in a tree…"Seth sing-songed after shifting back following his perimeter guard shift.

Paul laughed and picked up on the taunt, "He wishes he was K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Having trouble not thinking about our girl again, Mat?"

"Shut the fuck up, man. I swear she's done something with those freaky bloodsucker powers of hers," Mat defended.

Paul scratched his chin, "Interesting theory….only, I've had her more than once, and I don't think about her nearly as much as you do. I don't know, Seth, I think our boy likes Bella more than he wants to admit…"  
Seth and Paul burst into laughter as Mat stalked away from the two, desperate to get away from verbal reminders of the same accusations he had confronted himself with that very morning in the mirror.

Being a Friday night, the bar in Port Angeles was packed. Paul and the other single wolf boys had decided they needed a night to blow off some steam, so they packed into various vehicles and headed out in their best threads. Leah had gotten dragged along for the ride when Seth refused to stay home, and she felt the need to play mother hen to keep all parties involved out of an overnight stay in a jail cell. Boys will be boys, and wolf boys tended to pick fights when they had a few. Mat decided a nice beer buzz and someone to share a dance with would be just the distraction he needed.

They'd already finished their first round of long necks when Mat heard cat calls being directed towards the door. He turned to see the object of their attention only to curse his luck from thinking he could catch a break.

Bella stood in the entranceway, clothed in a pair of dark denim jeans and black boots that reached mid-thigh. Her top was black as well, an off one shoulder number made from some flowing black material that didn't cling to her skin, but would catch all her curves when she moved. Hair piled high in a messy pony tail and dark crimson lips, the hammered silver of her earrings kissed the top of her shoulders, giving her a wild, untamed look. She smiled when she saw the boys and nodded her head in their direction before heading to the bar.

Stopping at their table, a shot glass of amber liquid in each hand, she quickly downed each one before setting the empty glasses on the table.

Leah came around to stand beside her, "Thank God, you made it. I was seriously starting to question my good intentions of keeping an eye on these guys and considered leaving them to their own devices."

The boys made various comments about how they could take care of themselves and didn't need a babysitter, but Bella was in agreeance with Leah as she had been forced to break up more fights than she could remember in the past.

"You drink alcohol?" Mat couldn't help voicing his curiosity.

"Well look who can talk again," Bella met his gaze with a blank stare, "Yes, I take a little more alcohol then the average person, and my body will still burn through it fairly quickly, but if I can stay on top of it I can take off the edge of a hard day. Problem is, bartenders aren't used to a female of my size polishing off a fifth without passing out, and they start to get nosy, so, it isn't a frequent occurrence."

Paul chose that moment to pull Bella with him onto the dance floor, and Mat was left watching the girl slide her back down Paul's front before making her way back up and falling in sync with his steps as he kept his hands on her hips. Leah rolled her eyes and turned back to the rest of the table, not interested in the public display. Mat found his grip on the beer bottle had tightened and downing the remaining contents, he walked over to the bar to order another.

One song turned into three or four before the couple returned to the table. Bella took a pull of Seth's beer and then froze in place, having tilted her head to the side. Her nostrils flared slightly and black pupils dilated in amber orbs. Paul and the rest of the table followed her gaze to a guy that had pinned a smaller female against a wall with his arms, leaning in to talk to her. Moving off their stools, Bella stopped the movement at the table with a simple, "I've got this."

Grabbing Leah's hand, she made her way over to the man in question.

"Don't be like that sweetheart, I just asked your name is all."

The 20-something redhead with green eyes tried to turn her head away from the alcohol-laced breath of her interrogator, "And, I asked nicely for you to please let me leave. I'm not here to meet anyone, and I really just want to return to my table."

Bella leaned against the wall next to the man's arm, catching his attention. He glanced over and she licked her lips slowly, "Hey there, you look like trouble."

He flashed a grin at her attention, "I just might be, what kind of trouble did you have in mind?"

Arching an eyebrow in response, Bella suggested, "How about you let this child go about her way and we can talk."

Leaning back so the girl could step out from the cage he'd placed her in, Bella looked at Leah, "Make sure she's okay."

Leah followed the retreating girl, leaning down to introduce herself.

"She would have been more than okay if she'd had spent a little time with me," the stranger leered.

"You think so?"

"Oh, baby, I can make you scream my name all night long if you let me."

"I have no doubt you're terrifying to the ladies," Bella responded sarcastically.

"Smart mouth you have there. I'm not above teaching a thing like you a lesson or two."

Bella closed the gap between them, "I think I'll pass on the learning for tonight, and I suggest you turn and take your veiled threats elsewhere."

Laughing at her words, he clamped a hand down on her wrist and tried to shove her back against the wall, but found it was like trying to push a large boulder. Bella tilted her head and smiled, "Problem?"

With her free arm, she grabbed the hand that was on her other wrist and clamped down until she could feels his bones start to rub together under the flesh, "Two words: Walk. Away."

Spitting in her face, the idiot turned and made his way straight for the exit and out into the night. Bella wiped the spit off her cheek and turned back towards the table to see Paul deeply engaged in a conversation with the young lady she'd rescued. He placed a hand on her cheek, warmly smiling, and she watched as the girl leaned into his palm.

Stepping up to the table, she took a closer look at the pair before muttering, "Fuck…"

Leah stepped up beside her, "You know how it is…"  
"Yeah, yeah. Shots. Now. Go bribe the bartender for the whole bottle of Jack. In doing the right thing, I just rescued Paul's stupid imprint."

Leah laughed and headed towards the bar, Bella rolled her eyes at the couple and made her way back to the dance floor to forget the night's events until she could get another drink in her hand. Mat watched the interchange with interest. Bella didn't seem angry or jealous about Paul's imprint; she just appeared annoyed by what would be the loss of her friend with benefits.

An hour later, Bella didn't have a care in the world, Leah was completely wasted, Paul had left with Mia (redhead's name), the bottle of Jack was empty, the rest of the pack had taken off earlier, and there was no one sober enough to drive the girls home but Mat. Sighing, he led the two giggling (yes, giggling) females out to his car and headed back to the reservation.

Pulling up in front of Leah's house, Mat opened doors for Bella as she carried the dozing girl inside and up to her room. When Bella placed the woman on her bed, Leah opened half-lidded eyes and reached a hand up Bella's shirt, rubbing her thumb over a nipple. Bella sighed and gently took Leah's wandering hand into her own.

"You know, you could always give me a chance," Leah suggested.

Bella tucked the girl under a blanket and sat down on the edge of the mattress, "Leah, my friend, you are stunningly beautiful and I would be lucky to have you, but you know I just don't have a thing for girls. We've discussed this, and I know there is someone perfect for you out there. Hell, if Paul can find the love of his life…"  
Leah's eyes sparked angrily, "Paul found his imprint, the one person destined to happily birth all his little wolf cubs. I refuse to be a part of some stupid supernatural breeding program, Bella. You know they won't understand me."

"Shh, sh, sh, we don't need to discuss this tonight, sweetie. Close your eyes, get some sleep." Bella leaned forward to kiss the girl on her forehead, but Leah grabbed hold of her friend and locked the unsuspecting girl into a searing kiss. Bella gentle pushed her away, laughing like Leah had tried this before.

"You can't blame me, you look really fuck-hot in those boots."

"Yeah, yeah, goodnight Leah."  
Bella got up and turned towards the door realizing that she had dropped her guard and hadn't caught that Mat had been witness to the entire exchange. She shoved him out of the room and made sure he followed her back outside.

Turning on him, she stated, "You say nothing about that. Got it?"

Mat contemplated snapping back that she couldn't tell him what to do, but he was caught off guard by her fierce protection of the only female in the pack. He found himself nodding his head in agreement, "Sure, I won't say anything."

Bella seemed a little surprised that he had given in so easily, and she stood there for a few moments, taking note that it was the first time since the night of the hunt that they'd been alone again.

"You want to go for a run?"  
Mat was taken aback by the question, so much so, he looked over his shoulder to see if someone was behind him.

Bella snorted at his reaction, "Whatever. Goodnight, Mat."

"Wait, wait…I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to ask me to do anything with you."

"It's just a run. Nights like this, I just need to check out for a bit. No big deal."

Bella turned towards the tree line.

"Sure."

She stopped her movement and looked back at him. He had already started pulling his shirt up over his head revealing a broad muscular chest and that happy trail of hair leading into his jeans that she had been daydreaming about, and she snapped her head back the other direction before he caught her.

Hearing him pad up to her side, she looked over into his dark brown eyes and he nodded his head in assent before she took off up the shoreline of the reservation.

Having run many miles up the beach, she turned back towards home and made her way out to a rocky ledge that leaned out over the water. She took a seat down on the edge, letting her legs hang freely over the side, just staring out into the night, the waves crashing below her. Mat was a few paces behind and followed her scent, stopping when he realized that she had stopped moving. He gave up on going back to retrieve his clothes, but merely phased back to human form and remained to the right of her shoulder, a few feet behind.

"Do you not have any family left? I mean, I realize the pack is your family, but where are your parents, sisters, brothers?"

Bella sighed, and leaned forward out into the ocean air, letting the wind play with her hair, "I'm an only child, and my mother hasn't lived here in years. My parents were divorced when I came to live with my dad. To answer your question, she lives in Florida and she thinks I died. When I was attacked, the vampire who changed me had been to my house first. My dad caught him breaking in, and tried to shoot him. The vamp grabbed the gun and shot Charlie, leaving him to bleed out on the floor. The police assumed I was kidnapped, though it didn't really make sense. But how else could they explain the absence of my body? So, no, no family as you're referring to."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I've made my peace with it, and honestly, if Charlie were still alive, I'd have a hard time staying away from him and that would only put him in danger. I'm not even sure he would have accepted what I've become," Bella barked a laugh, "You know, not everyone thinks vampires are cool."

Mat flinched at her words, knowing she was referring to his ill treatment, "Yeah, I think I've heard something like that."  
Silence settled between them and the repetitive sounds of the waves started to cause Mat's breathing to slow down and his muscles to relax. He tried stifling a yawn.

"Just shift already and lay down. You're failing if you think I can't tell you're tired."  
"What about you?"

"I don't sleep, one of the down sides of being a vampire."

Mat mulled over her confession realizing there was no way any one of them, supernatural beings they may be, would be able to keep up with her every moment of the day.

"You're safe, scout's honor."

"You were a girl scout?"

Bella laughed, the sound tinkling across the breeze, "No, but you can either collapse where you stand or come lay down and sleep. Just phase first, please."

"You prefer sleeping with dogs?"

"No, you distract me. I've seen plenty of naked men around this place, but you tend to make me lose my concentration," Bella explained.

"I interrupt your thoughts?" Mat smirked as he teased.

"Someone happened to mention the other day that your thoughts are interesting these days…" Bella aimed back.

Mat's cheeks heated crimson and he shifted back before coming to lay by her side, looking out at the ocean and seeing the sky had already started to turn the grey blue of early morning. Bella reached over and scratched behind his ears. Mat turned and snapped at her hand, causing the woman to burst into laughter, "Touchy much?"

Mat snarled and settled down, letting his eyes drift close, not bothering to pay attention to the contentment he found sleeping with the enemy.

**A/N: So, I haven't updated this since January, and some of it is I just froze on the writing thing, and then I concentrated on finishing my first story. I'm hoping to give Twisted a little more attention from here on out. I know we started on a very smutty basis, but I think we've crept over into touchy-feely land, no? Leave me some love! **

**XOXO Ginja**


	5. Chapter 5 Changing My Mind

**Disclaimer: Twilight is the creation of Stephenie Meyer**

_*** Chapter 5 – Changing My Mind ***_

Mat woke the following morning to find that he was alone on the rocks. Stretching his front paws out in front of him "downward dog" style, he sat back on his haunches and shook the dew from his silver fur. One deep inhale of the crisp morning air brought the scent of the ocean waves that were crashing on the boulders below him, but didn't carry any traces of Bella being nearby. Checking into the pack thread running like a low volume radio broadcast in the back of his mind, he found that Quil and Embry were on morning perimeter run and Mat decided to join them before going in search of breakfast.

Falling in line with his brothers, he reflected on the evening's events, taking care not to reveal Leah's secret should anyone be listening in. Besides the wolf pack, Bella had no family.

_Family? Vampires have no family, idiot. It's them versus the buffet of meals walking around, oblivious to the fact that they aren't too far removed from a cow in a field awaiting slaughter. _

Her voice had been distanced and without emotion when she had shared how her father had been killed and she had removed herself from any interaction with her mother, from any friends or acquaintances she'd had before she the change it seemed. She had the power to walk the planet, take what she needed at will, and yet, she chose to stay on this little stretch of land living beside a people who despised her very existence.

_What a lonely life…_

_Are you actually feeling sorry for her? Is your heart breaking over a __**vampire**__?_

_What? No! Maybe! Fuck…_

No matter how much of an ass he had been since they met or the hate-fueled glares he had thrown her way, Bella had been open and honest with him about her past. She could have told him to fuck off, it really wasn't any of his business, but she'd answered his questions.

Even more irritating was the fact that he identified with her. He knew exactly how she felt.

Mat wasn't originally from La Push, but had grown up in San Diego with a father who had long since left his reservation and tribe behind, following his dreams of being an architect that led him to a place far from his childhood home. One afternoon, while sitting at his desk, a freak aneurysm left Mat fatherless, and his mother couldn't find a way to push past the loss. She had turned to alcohol as a companion for her sorrow, and had played a losing game of chicken with death by driving home from a bar one night drunk.

Orphaned and barely out of high school, Mat's uncle, who was also Quil's father, had shown up on his doorstep and insisted upon dragging him back home to the reservation. Mat went numbly, barely registering the change in location as he made his way through the days only because each morning the sun kept rising and he discovered that he was still alive. Days moved on to weeks and he found survival came from distancing himself from the past - remove the emotion, bury the memories and just act like each day stands on its own. If anyone asks questions, answer as if you were under police interrogation, "Just the facts, please."

When his inner wolf had been triggered, Mat was actually glad to have a new distraction, something that grabbed his attention and gave him focus. His body needed the physical release that came from running and play fighting with the other members of the pack. Targeting an enemy allowed him to siphon off the anger he hadn't realized had been caged in every cell of his body. Vampires equaled death, and death had stolen from him, so he would spend his days hunting down the enemy with vigilance until it was eradicated.

_Except, she isn't really deadly, is she? Well maybe to that moron at the bar last night, but even then she held back…_

_Oh ho, now look who's been fooled by Bella's good girl act. Mind your steps, son, she'll drain you dry while you sleep by her side like some pet._

_I'm no one's pet!_

_Keep telling yourself that…_

The skeptic in his head snickered at him as if he was a fool. Mat shook of the inner argument as he came to a halt beside his bike and grabbed some clothes from an old duffel bag. He quickly changed and headed into the house to grab breakfast, stopping to look at his pack in various states of activity - Quil and Embry in conversation, Seth and some of the younger pups having a contest to see who could eat the most pancakes, Jacob and Sam sitting with their wives tucked into their sides. Paul and Leah were both MIA, but Paul would be holed up with Mia for several days, and Leah was probably still passed out from the previous evening's events.

Before his arrival, these men had spent years growing up together, sharing tribal celebrations, and going to the same school. Mat didn't even know them before his uncle had dragged him up north. They had warmly welcomed him into the fold, but like Bella, he would always be a transplant, someone grafted into the group.

_Like Bella…._

He looked around the room, but he already knew she wasn't there for the family breakfast.

_Probably out eating a deer or something…._

_Aw, are you disappointed that your new friend isn't here to pet you on the head and tell you you're a good boy? _

The snide little voice mocked him. But Mat, straightened his spine as he pulled out a chair and sat down to eat.

_Yeah, I think I am…_

The sun was setting on the beach at La Push, and a bonfire had already been formed to ward off the chill of the evening. Someone had dragged out a radio that was sitting on top of the cooler, pushing music into any gaps in conversation that were found. Sam was manning a small charcoal grill, flipping burgers, while Leah and Cali were placing various sides on the folding table that had been brought out for the evening. Bella and Leah were laughing and chatting with Mia, trying to welcome her into the family, though Paul refused to let the girl move from her perch on his lap.

As usual, someone had dragged a football out to the party, and the boys were starting a game on an empty stretch of the beach, dividing into teams – shirts versus skins.

"I call Bella," Seth declared.

Bella turned from the girls, and arched an eyebrow at the boy, "Then I'm assuming you're shirts, right, Seth?"

Seth blushed a bright red, and some of the other boys were bent over laughing.

"Of course…Bella…I mean I would never try and trick you into…" The boy stumbled over his explanation.

Mat had already been picked by Jacob's side, and he tossed his shirt into the sand while Jacob reminded his team, "Keep an eye on Bells, boys, she cheats."

Mat had never played with the group, "Cheats?"

"You'll see," Quil nodded in the direction of the other huddle, "Just try and keep her distracted, or we'll never get a point."

They formed up on the line, and the ball was hiked to Mat. He backed up to throw a pass to Jacob, while Quil and Chase went straight for tackling Bella from the start. Mat could hear Bella laugh as she jumped over the boys, and he launched the ball into the air, while Jacob turned to catch it. At the very last moment, the ball diverted its path and flew to the right of the projected receiver. Seth pushed past Jake and grabbed the ball before it hit the sand, Embry and the rest of his team running in front of him to guard their boy until he could make it into the end zone.

"Seriously, Bells!" Jacob stood with hands on hips, staring at the girl who was holding a helping hand out to Quil.

Putting on her most innocent smile, she replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Jake. It's very windy out here tonight, don't you think, Seth?"

Seth grinned from ear to ear, "Absolutely, sis, I mean, did you see the way that ball just drifted away from Jake? Crazy cross winds…"

Mat stared at the interchange before turning to Quil, "Did she…?"  
"Yeah, she did. She used her little force field to block Jacob from getting the

pass," Quil explained, "Seth's always quick to call Bella onto his team. Now you see why."

They lined back up, only this time Mat lined up directly across from Bella. She looked him straight in the eye and winked. He growled in response, bringing forth a giggled from her.

Quil glanced over, "You got this man?"

"Absolutely."

Bella snickered, "Someone's awful confident."

Seth hiked the ball to Dakota, and Bella flew past Mat, making sure to push her shoulder into him and knock him off balance. The move only furthered his determination and he took off after her. Gaining distance on the sprinting female, he launched and tackled her down, the combined forward momentum digging a trench in the sand until the two smacked into a fallen tree.

The rest of the players ran over to where the two lay, having abandoned the ball to check on their team mates. Mat rolled off the woman trapped in the sand beneath him, and moved to stand while Bella just lay there laughing hysterically.

Seth's words were colored with awe, "You took her down."

Jacob grabbed Bella's left arm and pulled her into standing, only to notice that her right hand was bent backwards from her lower arm, "Um, Bells, your hand…"

Bella bent over to shake sand from her hair, still giggling, and looked at her hand, "Crap, Jake, can you pop it back into place?"

Mat looked at the damage he caused and the color quickly drained from his face, "Did I do that? Geesh, Bella, I'm sorry. Why didn't you stop me? Couldn't you use your force field or something?"

Bella looked at his face, at the worry and started laughing again, "It's fine, Mat."

With a crunching sound, Jake pushed the hand back the right way, and Bella grimaced for a moment before holding it up for Mat to see, "All better."

"Boys, dinner!" Emily called and the group turned back towards the bon fire pit.

Bella passed Mat and playfully knocked her shoulder into him, "Let it go. No harm, no foul."

He stood there for a moment, watching her walk away with Seth who was teasing her about being a not-so-invincible vampire.

Jacob stopped beside him, "You made her laugh."

Mat looked over at him, "What?"

"She hasn't been happy like that for a while. Sure, she smiles, but there's always that darkness that lingers in her eyes. For a second there, she was the girl I used to know," Jacob clapped the man on the shoulder before following the group.

Mat just grunted in response.

After the massive mountain of burgers and dogs had been consumed, the group settled around the raging fire and roasted marshmallows. Jacob stood up from his seat beside Cali, placing a hand on her shoulder and she immediately covered his hand with her own. He cleared his throat to get the attention of his family, and waited until all talking had stopped and every eye was turned to him.

"Cali and I have a little announcement to make," Jacob looked down at the woman who was prettily smiling at her husband, "We're going to have a baby!"

Excitement erupted around the alpha leader, and everyone was quick to jump up and offer congratulations, embracing Jacob and Cali in hugs and showering them with well wishes.

Jacob looked across the flames and locked eyes with his best friend who had refrained from being part of the group. He crossed over to her and examined her face.

"You knew," he exclaimed, realization dawning, "You knew she was pregnant."

Bella smiled at her friend and tapped the side of her head, "Vampire hearing, I can detect their heartbeats."

Cali stopped beside her husband, wrapping arms around his waist, "Wait, their heartbeats?"

Bella's grin grew. Jacob looked down at the woman by his side, letting the words sink in.

"Twins?"

Bella nodded, "Surprise, daddy. You two are going to have your hands full, first time out."

Jacob pulled Bella into him for a group hug with his wife, feeling that his heart was going to burst. He kissed his wife's head, and then his friend's. Finally letting them go, Bella took a step back and looked up to see Jake's face had twisted into sadness.

"Bella, you know, I'll have to stop phasing…" He began.

"Jake, you don't have to explain…"

Mat caught the interchange between the two, and looked from Jake's sorrow to Bella's smile that was trying to mask her pain.

"It isn't fair …" he continued.

Bella gathered an inner fire, and it crackled in her eyes, "Jacob Black, you _will not_ apologize on this night of celebration. She is your wife, and these are your children, and you are meant to share their life and grow old with them. And, I will watch over each of you until you take your last breath, just as you watched over me that day in the clearing, and I will continue watching over the generations that follow you."

A tear made its way down his face, and Bella wiped it away. Jacob let go of Cali and dragged Bella into a crushing embrace.

"Jake, can't breathe," Bella pretended to struggle.

He grabbed hold of her offered attempt to lighten the situation, "You don't need to breathe, stupid leech."

Letting Bella go, Jacob took Cali's hand and returned to the rest of the group to share the newest bit of news. Bella remained where she was, taking an unnecessary deep breath of cool night air.

Mat stepped towards her, "Bella, I'm sorry…"

The brunette turned her gaze towards him, and the darkness Jacob had described earlier was now a bottomless pit of grief pushing the amber irises outward until her eyes were simple onyx orbs.

She dragged in another gasp of air before saying, "I just….I just can't, right now."

Turning away, she took off into the night, leaving Mat to contemplate chasing after her.

**A/N: Yeah, no matter how much I start off with some sex-filled romp, I end up a romantic at heart putting together two broken pieces. *Sigh* Hope you enjoyed it! Leave some love!**

**Have a Happy Easter! Best. Candy. Ever. **


	6. Chapter 6 Piece Me Back Together

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer**

**A/N: So, I'm a musically emotional person. Whether it's while I read or paint or write, I believe there's music that just fits every moment of life. That may not be your thing. But if you like to hear the songs that are in my head while I write, than I'd say this chapter is highly reliant on Red' "Hold Me Now." There's even a lyric video on their YouTube channel if you want to check it out. **

_*** Chapter 6 – Piece Me Back Together ***_

_Three days_….it might as well have been fifty.

Bella had sprinted away from the bonfire and the pack with vampiric speed and by the time Mat tried to follow her exit, he found that she had shielded her scent from the surroundings and therefore cut off any chance of tracking her trail. He had taken to four feet and darted through the trees, cutting a path to the ocean ledge, over to the river, anywhere he had known her to visit in the past, but found no sign of her presence. Frustrated for not following the instinct to immediately shift and go after her when she had broken from the group that night, Mat had grown sullen over the days that followed Bella's disappearance.

To put it simply, he missed her.

He argued the issue internally, this twist in his feelings for her. True, she was a vampire, and by nature, an enemy. Initially he felt compelled to treat her as a cold blooded killer; every move she made was questioned. But, then he found that he enjoyed her company more than that of his pack mates. Reasoning that maybe it was the late arrival of his presence in the group, the distance created by not sharing years of memories growing up together on the res with the other guys, he initially dismissed the spark of interest, but more than that, he enjoyed _her._ Whether it was the humorous siblingesque banter she shared with the other guys without being childish, the love and care she showed each member of the pack and their loved ones, or her fierce personality that wouldn't bend under his scrutiny but met him step for step defending that she had as much right to be on the reservation as he. Hell, the way she had taunted him in the beginning with her body caused his pulse to race and still created havoc with his thoughts.

More than the curves of her waist, her smile and almost musical laugh, or the way the sun brought out the red streaks in her hair, Mat kept falling back to the look on her face when she whispered those last few words. She had been shattered, grieving over loss yet to happen but would eventually come to pass. No matter the brave front she had plastered on her face when she convinced Jacob that it was right for him to give up phasing and join his family, Mat could see that the reality of a future without her best friend was cutting jagged tears into her heart and she was hurting. He was such a fool for having let her run.

Gritting his teeth in annoyance at having made another trek through the woods and coming up empty, Mat settled into a creaky wooden chair at the massive dinner table at Sam's.

He picked at the chicken and rice mixture on his cheerful sunshine yellow plate, not really paying attention to the conversations going on around him. Taking a pull from his iced tea, Mat caught Jacob's questioning look over the rim of the glass.

Jacob looked like shit.

If Mat was kicking himself for not chasing after Bella, Jacob was tearing himself apart for being the reason why she ran. He knew Mat was looking for the missing female,

and had even taken to running alongside him a few times.

For what seemed like the hundredth time, Jacob questioned with his eyes and Mat shook his head in the negative. Jacob sighed and put down his fork, pushing his chair back from the table. Cali placed a hand on his forearm, looking up at her husband with question and concern, feeling helpless to try and take away some of the pain and personal responsibility Jacob was carrying on his shoulders. Jacob just squeezed her hand as it slid through his fingers, continuing with his exit from the table and out the back door.

Mat put his head down, ignoring the looks of the other table members, not wanting to see their wordless questions. For Seth and some of the younger guys, it was hopeful expectation that he had found her. She was the cherished older sister. From Paul and Quil, it was a question of why Mat was so interested in the woman. They were always dissecting his actions, trying to make sense of his searching so diligently for a woman he couldn't stand weeks before. And Leah, she was so pissed at Mat and Jacob, she constantly vibrated with anger. She blamed Mat for not stopping her friend and hated Jacob his happily-ever-after life that was causing Bella pain. It didn't matter that the latter was really a result of intentional actions, Leah needed someone to place the blame for Bella's disappearance and Jacob was too beat down to tell her to go fuck herself.

Meals had taken a slightly somber tone since a piece of the pack – and, even though she was a vampire, _she was theirs_ – had fallen away. Jokes were forced, pulling pranks on each other were sporadic and not much effort was put in.

They all missed her.

Mat cleaned off his plate and made his way out into the twilight and down the path to the beach. Jacob was sitting on a fallen tree, staring out over the waves that continued to push inward and outward from the shore. He cleared his throat to alert the pack leader to his presence.

Jacob stood up, "Follow me; I want to show you something."

Making for the trees, Jacob quickly stripped down and sprinted into the darkening woods. Mat followed.

The pair crossed over the border of the reservation and into the surrounding woodland. They were eating up the miles as they moved away north-east from Forks and stopping near the edge of the Olympic National Park. Jacob finally slowed down and came to a stop next to a small wooden cabin.

He phased and headed towards the porch while Mat stayed back a few feet lifting his snout into the air. He inhaled and froze.

_He could smell her. She had been here._

The smell wasn't fresh, but as he approached the front porch on all fours, the scent grew stronger with each pull of air he dragged in. He phased when he reached the steps and followed Jacob to the front door. Jacob pulled a key from the ledge of the door frame, placing it in the lock and letting himself in.

Mat looked around at the one-room cabin. There was a worn brown leather couch and recliner sitting in front of the fireplace. The hardwood floors were smooth, the finish having been worn through in spots of heavy traffic. Colorful woven rugs were scattered throughout – beneath the small dining set next to the front window, beside the edge of the queen size bed that was covered with a quilt of jewel tones, in front of the couch. An overstuffed bookshelf was lining one far wall, one row of books pushed against the back of the unit, another placed in front. More books with dog eared pages were on the table next to the couch, a few on the bedside table. A large window ran the length of the bed, curtains drawn back so Mat could see the forest stretching beyond the property. The small kitchen was completely bare. There were no dishes in the sink and the refrigerator didn't appear to be plugged in.

"It was her father's hunting cabin," Jacob answered the unspoken question running through Mat's head.

"I don't smell anyone else from the pack," Mat continued his inspection, "Does no one else know this is here?"

Jacob shook his head, crossing his arms, "This is her space. She needed a place to go, separate from us, from the pack. She showed it to me once before, but I always felt it necessary to respect her wishes, to give her this reprieve from our lives. You know she doesn't sleep?"

Mat nodded mutely.

"With all those hours, I think she must come here from time to time. I've never really asked what she does. I suppose that was wrong of me, not caring enough to ask."

"Well obviously she does some reading," Mat made his way over to the shelves and inspected the layers of books resting there, "Why are you showing me this?"

Jacob scratched his chin, "That _is _the question. I don't know what's going on between you two. Last month you hated her, the past few days, you're like a caged tiger pacing back and forth, looking for her. Either way, you seem to care, and I don't think I'm the answer to what she needs at this time. Pretty sure I'm the jackass to blame for this mess."

"So, I'm showing you this place because I was hoping that maybe she was here. Maybe this was where she had disappeared to…"

"Has she ever run off like this before?"

"No," Jacob swallowed the emotions trying to push to the surface, "But, we were always careful not to talk about what would happen if I gave up the wolf. When Cali came on the scene, she was barely 19. We thought we had years before the age difference became so noticeable that I'd give up phasing. The twins, God, I'm so fucking happy about those babies…"

Mat picked up the unsure tremor in Jacob's statement, "But?"

"But what about her? It isn't fair to tie her to us knowing we'll all pass away one by one."

Mat didn't try and assuage Jacob's feelings, merely nodded without verbal response.

Jacob turned back towards the front door, "I'm heading out. It's obvious she hasn't been here recently. Hell, I don't know where she is."

"Do you mind if I stick around?"

Jacob shrugged, "Suit yourself, just lock up when you leave."

Matt watched the man leave and heard massive paws stir up the pine needles as Jacob made his way back into the woods. He closed his eyes inhaled deeply pulling in Bella's scent, letting it take up residence in his lungs. It was two parts soothing, and three parts stimulating the ache he had for her.

He opened his eyes and made his way over to an oil lamp, lighting it with one of the long matches in the canister beside it. The smell of burning fuel crept into the air, and warm light glowed within the hurricane glass enclosure. Turning up the flame to give his animal eyesight a rest, he made his way over to the fireplace mantel to look at the small collection of framed pictures. There was a black and white photo of Jacob's dad with an unfamiliar male that Mat assumed was Bella's father. They were smiling proudly, holding up two large fish for the camera. Moving over to the next frame, there was younger Jacob with a gap toothed brunette in pig tails. They were holding hands, soaking wet with little drops of water sparkling on the girl's freckled cheeks, standing on a lake side dock in bathing suits. Mat could recognize Bella as a young girl in the picture, and he grinned from the happiness that radiated between the pair. Finally there was one of the unknown man seated on the bench of a picnic table, a teenage Bella seated on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck as they both grinned at the photographer. She appeared to be slightly younger than the Bella he was familiar with.

"I don't remember calling the pound and asking them for a stray."

Mat jumped at her voice, razor-sharp coming from the still open doorway. He turned and gasped in surprise.

If he thought Bella was affectionate and loving before, the woman standing in the doorway could have passed for her colder twin. She was frighteningly beautiful. Onyx eyes pierced him, the skin beneath appeared purpled and slightly bruised. Soft curves had given away to sharp lines and thinned skin, almost giving her a transparent, pearlescent sheen. Dressed in a black tank top and dark jeans, her hair was loose and free flowing, framing her face in a dark curtain making her appear even paler. She was a cold, bitter siren, pulling at him even though he could barely recognize her as the woman he had been searching for.

"Fuck, Bella, when's the last time you fed?" Mat questioned.

He had forgotten just how fast she could move, and before he could blink he was pinned up against the wall of the cabin, the wood creaking from the force. Her arm was at his throat, holding him in place, and she closed her eyes as she inhaled his scent. Lids snapping open, Mat could see that all color had drained from her irises, there were just those drowning black pools.

"Nice of you to bring the meal to _me_," she cooed, nails of her free hand scratching down the stubble on his cheek and finger settling on his pulse point.

His heart rate took off, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Like a small bird trapped by a predator, the beats tripped over each other as they hammered inside his ribs. This was the killer released from her cage, heartless and without a second thought to the value of frail human life. She was a gorgeous storm, full of vengeance and wrath, seeking to devour the man held captive in her claws.

He closed his eyes, cutting off contact with those fathomless depths looking to consume his life force.

Taking a breath he forced words from his lips, "Is that the answer, Bella? Will taking my life make you less lonely?"

She laughed cruelly, "What the fuck do you know about my loneliness, mongrel?"

She pushed against his windpipe, and Mat fought to push down his panic, "I know you love Jacob. I know how much it hurts to lose the people you love, to not be able to stop their exit from your life, to feel helpless as it tears away at your insides."

She moved away from him just the tiniest sliver, allowing him to take in another breath and continue.

"My dad, my mom, my home, gone, Bella. Each piece taken from me and I didn't have the ability to stop any of it."

Instantly the cold air inside the cabin flooded his naked form as Mat found her across the room, staring out the front window into the night. His body slumped down the wall from the sudden release, but the adrenaline still pushed into his skin, spikes of awareness that he wasn't free; she could still kill him before he could move to escape.

Bella burst into a hysterical trill of laughter, "Did you know I asked for this? I fucking begged for it? To be changed into this creature, a vampire, immortal and unstoppable."

"God, what a little fool I was back then. Thinking a never-ending life spent with the man I loved would be heaven," Bella worried at the nail on her thumb, pulling on a strand of her hair, eyes meeting Mat's face again.

He let her words sink in before asking, "Wait, I thought you were attacked."  
Bella grinned sadly, "Oh, that was after he left me. The vampire I was stupid enough to think I loved and loved me in return. He and his family, they left."

"Leaving, left, behind, gone, all alone, everyone leaves in the end," Bella giggled madly.

Mat took a step towards her, "I'm not leaving you, Bella."

The force of the statement shocked him, realizing the truth in the words as they tumbled from his lips.

"In fact, I've been looking for you ever since you ran away the other night."

She bent over in laughter, pulling her hair as she slid down the wall and curled in on herself, sitting on the floor. She wrapped spindly arms around her torso and rocked as she looked up at him, "You're not leaving?"

Anger fueled the words she spit out next, "_**Liar!**_ You just haven't set eyes on the right woman yet, then your cock will take the lead and you'll run after her like a dog in heat. Stupid fucking werewolves and their imprints."

"Who says I want any of that, Bella? I didn't get to choose what happened to my parents. I didn't have a say in this stupid transformation into an unrecognizable beast! And I sure as hell don't need someone else picking some girl who can't figure out why she's interested in me, but I'm just supposed to shack up with her and have the next generation of tribe warriors."

Bella put her hands in her lap, and refused to look at him when she replied softly, "But, you can't stop it."

Mat sat next to her on the wooden floor, "You're right. I can't. But, I'm not looking, that's for damn sure. Maybe I can just stay here in your cabin. I'm sure you've got enough books on those shelves that I could hide for a few months."

Bella snorted, "I don't have any food unless you're going to join me hunting deer for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

Mat grimaced at the thought, "Maybe we could order take out?"

It started with a little laugh in response to his joke and then she was giggling, which gave in to laughter. The words really hadn't been that funny, but she needed the snap back to the light, to let go of the pain that had been breaking off pieces of her heart the past few days.

Mat turned his face to watch her as the laughter died down. She still appeared frail, taught with emotion, but he could finally see a glimpse of the girl who had plagued his dreams. She sat up and leaned her head against his shoulder, two people sharing a small piece of wall in a cabin the middle of nowhere. He shivered from the contact and she looked up at the movement.

He held his breath, she didn't need to breathe.

His heart rate started to pick up again, she felt an ache and pull in her chest.

His eyes looked down to her mouth, her tongue darted out to lick at her lips.

He lowered his head slowly, she turned her face up to meet his descent.

Mat didn't know what he was expecting when he started to kiss her, he only knew he couldn't resist the pull. His body was exhausted from searching for her, only to find a beautiful broken mess that was falling apart at the seams. She had threatened to take his life just moments before, but now he wanted to push all the life he had into her.

She suckled on his lower lip and he groaned in return. He wrapped her hair in a fist and pulled her closer to him, inhaling the spicy scent that calmed and excited him at the same time. Tongues slid against one another, fire and ice, burning and melting, push, pull, give, take, fighting for dominance.

Bella twisted her body and moved into his lap, pushing her hand into his hair, and he placed hands on hips to pull her body even closer. She let go of his mouth long enough to slant her lips down the side of his throat, and he gasped in air, hardening under her as she ground into him.

Blood pumped beneath his skin…pulse racing…mmmm, yes, yes, YES…..liquid lust….more, more, give it to me…and Bella froze.

Mat felt her stiffen and looked up at her shocked expression.

"We have to stop."

Mat shifted awkwardly, his arousal brushing against the textured denim of her jeans. He gritted teeth and closed his eyes, "Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry, I thought we were both…"  
Bella jumped up and stepped away, "No, no, it's not that…I haven't fed since I left that night…and you, God, you're just…"

Mat realized what she was saying, "You're trying not to attack me?"

Bella looked at him and smirked, "Something like that."  
"I don't think I'd mind so much anymore."

Bella smiled at his response and then shook her head, "I'm just going to go hunt...are you going to….will you, um, be here when I get back?"

"Can I come with you?" Mat questioned, "It took me long enough to find you, I'd rather not let you run off so soon."

She twirled a lock of hair around her finger, and shook her head in a yes, "I didn't expect you to come find me…you…you're…thank you."

Mat was taken back by the heartfelt sincerity in her voice. He didn't trust himself to say anything in response, so he stood up and walked past Bella, shaking off his aroused state and shifting into wolf form before looking over his shoulder to find her standing in the doorway. He cocked his head as if to say, "You coming?"

Bella smiled and took off lightening fast into the woods.

**A/N: Shew, I feel a little worn out writing that little roller coaster ride of emotions. I think I covered almost all of them! What'd you think? I don't think we're finished with them clashing, but I think we've shifted to knitting these two together from here on out. Reviews are lovely! Xoxo- Ginja**


	7. Chapter 7 : Together

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer has always owned Twilight. **

**So, I feel if you've made it this far in the story, you've already read some of the mature adult content. Nevertheless, in case you decided to jump on board at the final chapter only, please be aware, this is rated M for a reason, i.e. there's sexual content in this chapter. It's after the bold black line towards the end of the chapter should you desire to skip that part. It's not integral to the plotline, but come on, you had to know they were going to get around to that sooner or later, am I right? : )**

_*** Chapter 7 – Together ***_

Early morning light streamed in through the window running across the back of the cabin and further warmed the russet skin of the sleeping male who was a tangle of limbs and crisp white cotton sheets. Eyes started to move beneath lids still closed as he took in a deep breath. Pulling his arm out from underneath the pillow his head was resting on, Mat stretched it out fully to the right and realized it took longer to reach the edge of the queen-sized mattress than his usual resting place at Quil's house.

Opening his eyes to take in the rest of his surroundings, Mat had a brief stutter in the wires connecting his thoughts before remembering that he was in Bella's cabin. He searched the living area before realizing she occupied a chair next to the dresser in the sleeping area of the open floor plan.

Sitting in a singular ray of light, her eyes closed, Mat took in the subtle crimson halo that shone in her hair. Fair skin that appeared to be satin in texture in the early light of day contrasted starkly with long dark eyelashes and red tinted lips. The Brothers Grimm must have had a vision of the future when they wrote "Snow White," for Bella was indeed the beauty described in the tale.

It was difficult to reconcile cold and unfeeling with the soft womanly features on her face, but not once as he gazed at her in the early morning light did she move. She was a living statue…that wasn't alive…but after last night, he knew to be very much a caring, emotional person capable of sorrow and pain.

Mat's head often got caught in a circular path when it came to comparing what he thought he knew of vampires with what he knew of Bella. It was exhausting trying to push against the pull he felt towards her, just because of some engrained myth he had adopted as to why she was a monster that needed to be put down.

He rubbed his hands down his face, sighing as he came to the decision that this had to stop.

He was finished.

Bella had showed herself to be a friend and a companion to his loneliness in the pack, and he didn't want to lose that. He had no interest in imprinting on anyone, but until the ugly hand of fate dealt her cards to him, he would make good on his promise to be there for her. The idea of turning his back on the girl caused his still beating heart to seize in his chest.

"You know, while you were sleeping, your heart rate was right around 70 beats per minute, but then it picked up speed when you started to wake up. And just now, it almost sounded like it skipped a beat," Bella's words tumbled from quickly moving lips, but her eyes still remained closed and she otherwise remained unmoving.

"One, that's kind of creepy. You may want to go with 'Good Morning' or some other pleasant greeting next time. And two, what are you doing? I didn't think you slept, but I'm not exactly sure what the point is in playing a solo game of statue," Mat responded while he sat up and stretched his arms over his head, "Which, you'd totally win by the way. You are scary still and silent sitting there….again, slightly creepy."

Bella opened her eyes and smiled, turning her face towards his voice and Mat was taken aback by the golden caramel color of her irises. She'd been a crazed demon the night before, ebony pupils making it appear as if she had lost all hold on humanity and was simply a snarling "thing."

"When you have endless amounts of time on your hands, you find that you grow weary of always filling the minutes with 'doing stuff.' I may not be able to sleep, but I can essentially rest. And, to be honest, after the past few days I needed to shut down for a bit. Listening to the steady rhythm of your heart helped soothe me into stillness," Bella grinned, "But, I apologize for being creepy. Thank goodness you didn't wake up earlier when I was sitting next to you, counting the number of eyelashes you possess."

With a worried expression, Mat reached a hand up to touch his eyes, "Seriously?"

Bella started to laugh, and her whole body relaxed into a state of movement as her giggles picked up pace, "Oh my, your face. That is just precious. You believe me!"

Mat grumbled, "Funny, funny vampire in the morning, just what I needed."

He started to stand up and realized he wasn't wearing any clothes, nor did he have any to change into here in the cabin. Grabbing the sheet that was starting to slide over his hip bones, he wrapped it around himself. Bella just arched one eyebrow as she watched his movements.

"Someone feeling modest this morning?" she snarked.

"Just because you've seen me naked before doesn't mean you get a free peep show pass all the time."

"Ooohhh, peep show, did you have a little dance routine you could put on for me? Maybe I could find you a cowboy hat or something in black leather that you could take off."

Mat passed Bella's still laughing form and flipped his middle finger in the air as he made his way into the bathroom. The recipient broke down into another fit of giggles in response to the gesture.

Seeing as there was zero food to be found in the cabin, Bella followed Mat's pace as he loped back towards the reservation.

Honestly, he wasn't in a hurry to get back, and Bella still seemed a little unsteady at having to face Jacob and the inevitable future again. But, if they were going to hang out in her space for an extended period of time, they would need clothes and he would need food. Bella had plugged the refrigeration unit back in before they left to allow the appliance to start running before placing food back on the shelves.

The plan was to stop in ,say hello to the group to let them know Bella was okay, and to make the trek back later that day.

Stopping at Quil's house, Mat didn't waste any time changing into jeans and worn navy blue t-shirt. He threw various articles of clothing into a duffel that he wouldn't miss if he left them at their forest hideaway.

Abandoning the idea of running the distance to Sam's house, the pair opted for taking Mat's bike.

Climbing on and bending forward to place the key in the ignition, he jumped slightly when two arms slid around his middle. Sitting up and glancing over his shoulder, he could barely make out the top of Bella's head, hair pulled back into a pony tail as she rubbed her cheek against his shirt while wrapping herself around the broad muscles of his back. He placed a hand over the two that were clasped around his middle and Bella gently hugged him in response.

Making quick work of the drive, Bella refused to take the lead when they got to Sam's but hid behind Mat's larger form as he entered the back door of the kitchen. Six sets of wolf eyes turned sharply to see who the intruder was. When they took in his appearance, Jake merely lifted his chin before returning to his food. Mat cleared his throat to get the pack leader's attention as Bella stepped out from behind him. Jake dropped the fork he was holding and it clattered noisily against his plate.

"Bells…"

She lifted a hand and waved slightly while Seth and Leah leapt to her side to embrace her in a hug.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Leah spat.

"I just needed to take a little vacation."

The girl shoved a hand into Bella's shoulder, knocking her back a bit, "A vacation? You just run off in the middle of the cookout for a fucking vacation? What the hell, Bella?"

Bella stared at the floor and adopted the very human nervous gesture of running the toe of her shoe back and forth across the floor, "I'm sorry, Leah. I don't know what to say, but I needed a break."

Mat and Jake were staring at each other, some sort of wordless conversation going on between the two men.

Leah looked to her pack brother standing at Bella's side, "Did you go find her?"

Mat simply shrugged in response, but Bella grabbed his hand and linked her fingers with his. Seth, Leah, Jacob and the rest of the group noticed the gesture and looked between the two.

"He sort of talked me into coming back, made me see the stupidity of my decision, running off like I did."

Seth started to grin, "Man, you and Bella! _Damn_, why can't it ever be me?"

Immediately Mat stepped in front of Bella and glared at Seth while growling.

Jacob watched the exchange in wonder while Paul rolled his eyes and muttered, "Moron" under his breath.

The younger cub backed down, "Sorry, man, no harm intended."

Jacob slowly got up from his chair and crossed the room, pushing Mat over a little with a look that said, _go ahead, challenge me._ Looking at his best friend, he was saddened to see she would meet his eyes for just a moment before looking elsewhere.

"You okay, Bells?"

She nodded her head in silent response.

"We good?"  
Her words were barely above a whisper, "Always, Jake, always."

He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, noting that she had refused to break the grasp she had on Mat's hand, but he took what she could give him at the moment.

Stepping back, Jacob looked and Mat and spoke quietly, "Thanks, man."

Mat seemed uncomfortable with his leader's attention, "No problem."

Shooing the people surrounding her back, Bella took up residence leaning against a counter while Matt took the chair that allowed him to keep her in his line of sight while he ate. He was no longer watching her every move for threats, no, now he just needed to see her, to make sure she didn't disappear again. He made quick work of his breakfast, taking his plate to the sink before returning to her side. Fingers glided, skin against skin, and wove together once more.

"So, Embry is out with Tad and Aidan right now. They should be coming in soon, but I figured I'd send you, Seth and Quil out for the day. Maybe while you guys are out, you can make note of any of the homes or buildings that look like they could use some attention, especially if it belongs to one of the older tribe members," Jake continued, "Sam and I are going to help Emily and Cali at the food kitchen, and the girls wanted to give Mia a chance to see the work that goes on there, see if she wanted to help out."

Mat looked down at Bella, who focused on Jacob, "Jake, it's just been a rough couple of days, and…I think it best if I just take a little more time."

Jacob's eyes bore the weight of her words, even when his features tried to hide that it bothered him that Bella seemed so uncomfortable to be home, "I understand. Just check in and let us know you're okay."

"Of course, but…"

Jacob looked questioningly for the rest of the sentence and noticed Bella rubbing her thumb back and forth nervously over Mat's knuckle.

"I'd like it if Mat came with me. I realize it's a sacrifice to the pack, to not have him here, but I'm asking this as a favor…to me," Bella pleaded.

Jacob looked next to him at his wife who offered a small smile and took his hand in hers, squeezing it gently before answering, "Yeah, sure, sure, take whatever time you need. We'll manage."

"Thank you."

Bella said her quick goodbyes and Mat didn't say much of anything while Leah openly gaped at their retreating forms as they exited the house.

Paul was the first to speak after the sound of the motorcycle's engine faded away, "So…what do we think of that? I mean, I know, I can't exactly claim innocence when it comes to Bella, but _that_ is not just fun and games."

Jacob worriedly scratched at his chin, mulling over the morning's events.

"She's happy with him," Cali interrupted his thoughts and Emily nodded.

Leah's patience had run thin, "She's happy? Are you serious? Did you see her? She barely said more than two words to us, and she's been gone without a trace for days. How does that equal happy?"

Emily smiled at the brash female, "She's not smiling from ear to ear, no, but, did you see how she leans into him, how her hand is always searching for his, how she waits for him to move? Our bold, strong girl who has always had an edge is breaking down around him. She isn't looking for just a silly playmate, she's intertwining herself with him. And, I don't think I've seen Mat interested in anything before today. He was quick to jump to her defense when Seth made that off-handed remark. There is something they find in each other that we haven't seen them posses before."

Sam looked at Jacob, tone serious, "What will happen if he imprints? What's that going to do to the two of them?"

Jacob sighed, "Fuck…I don't know. Are we _okay_ with this? I mean, yeah, we all turned a blind eye to Paul and Bella. Not much we could do to stop that. But, this? They're seriously getting involved with each other, and man, I love that girl, I'd do anything for Bella, but…."  
"She's still a vampire," Sam finished.

"Yeah."

Leah spoke up, "Well maybe it isn't always so cookie cutter perfect! Did you think of that? Maybe we're not all meant to find a mate, shack up and have 10 kids living happily ever after. Who made the rules that we have to follow the same formula every time? Is there some law that says we have to do a, b, and c in order? Can't any of us have a different future?"

She finished her tirade, cheeks flushed, slamming her hands down on the breakfast table. Leah was prone to emotional reactions, Jake knew, but this was different, this reaction was personal, Leah meant every word she spoke.

"I don't know," the Alpha admitted honestly, "We've just always seemed to follow the same path. But, I suppose if anyone's going to break away and take off into the woods in a different direction, it'd be you or Bella. Hell, even Mat's different, having grown up in a different place. Maybe we're meant to evolve further into something different."

Cali laughed, "Babe, I love you, but this isn't genetic science. This is love, and it's all about the unknown, the emotions and the falling for someone that your heart wants above all others, regardless of the specifics."

"Who said anything about love?" Jacob questioned, his face shocked at the mention of the word.

Cali and Emily just laughed and got up from the table, "You'll see…"

Jacob just sat there, stunned into silence, trying to make sense of what the hell was going on around him.

Stopping to get some needed supplies, Bella and Mat packed the bikes in the back of her truck and then traveled by road to a lot that was a several miles away from the cabin. From there, they could take the bikes down a path that wasn't accessible by car or pick-up.

Between Bella's vampire speed and Mat's trait of not needing words to fill every moment of the day, the two had quickly stowed their supplies and Bella had given Mat a drawer he could tuck his clothes into.

He turned around to find himself alone in the space once more. He grunted his frustration over not having heard her leave. She was like a damn ghost, sliding through the shadows, devoid of heartbeat, cloaked in her shield. He stepped out onto the small porch and wandered around the back of the property before spotting a slash of color off to the right. Heading in that direction, he found Bella lying in a bright red hammock.

She had chucked her jeans, so slender legs were on display leading up to a pair of cut off black sweat shorts. A small sliver of stomach was exposed between the shorts and the edge of her stone grey Henley. She had earphones in and was swaying in her resting spot to the beat of music he couldn't hear. Fingers danced in the air above her face as she seemed to be manipulating something unseen, and her face was relaxed and carefree. Hearing his approach, she looked over at him and smiled, crooking a finger in her direction.

He caved without resistance to her beckoning and made his way over to the woman summoning him. Scooting over to give him space, Bella waited for him to join her. Mat crossed his arms across his chest.

"Seriously, we can't both fit in that thing," He said incredulously looking at the hammock and examining where it was attached to the trees.

Bella huffed, "I hung this myself. Do you doubt my ability to judge whether it can contain your massive hulking frame?"

"If it snaps and you end up on the ground, don't say I didn't warn you."

Bella rolled her eyes, "Just get in the damn thing already, chicken."

She started making clucking sounds as he stepped out of his shoes and placed one leg over the edge, leery of allowing the rest of his body to follow suit. Bella amped up the volume of her taunting chicken noises until he snapped and moved quickly to join her. The swing swayed back and forth violently in response to the sudden movement, and Mat closed his eyes till the movement slowed down and Bella stopped laughing.

"I think it's safe to open your eyes now," she cooed, sliding a finger down the side of his face.

"You're a pain in the ass," he grumped in return.

With his weight added to the hammock, Mat found that their bodies had rolled down to the center so that every inch of Bella was pressed against him. She snuggled into his side and offered one of her earphones. Mat placed the device into his ear and wrapped his arm around her body so she wasn't laying awkwardly on top of it, trapping it to his side.

Closing his eyes, the first rhythmic beats of a song started to pulse in his ear before a shredded guitar was added to the mix and Mat recognized King of Leon's "Closer" beginning. Bella started running her fingers up and down the plain of his stomach, tracing unknown patterns on the material. His dick twitched in response to the movement and the sultry notes hitting his eardrums.

"_She took my heart, I think she took my soul…"_

There seemed to be truth in the lyrics they listened to as Mat tried not to concentrate on Bella's movements and how it made his blood race faster, choosing to drift into slumber.

Waking up to find that the sky had started to turn pink with the tell tale signs of evening, Mat could still feel Bella's presence beside him, but there was something off.

"Stop shielding yourself."  
Bella looked up him, "Hmm?"

"You're shielding. I can feel you, but I can't smell you. Your shield is up, and there's no point in doing that when it's just me."

Bella caught his gaze and with the next inhale, Mat breathed in the scent of the woman by his side. It completed the picture of her, like a piece clicking into place, and it was comforting to have all of her and not just the visual image.

She grinned wickedly, "Please share, what do I smell like?"

Mat thought for a moment, "Cinnamon or some other spice? I don't know, there's a distinct edge there, something strong, but it's mixed in with vanilla. It's very warm, like what you'd expect to find in a bakery or a kitchen."

Bella teased and nodded sagely, "Very descriptive. Are you trying to say I smell good enough to eat?"

Mat couldn't stop the heat in his face and tried to hide behind his hands, "You're going to be the death of me."

"Nah, I kind of like having you around, so I think we'll keep you alive a little longer," Bella flipped out of the hammock gracefully, leaving Mat to grab the fabric for stability, "Come on, then, let's feed you before you decide to take a bite out of me."

She saucily looked over her shoulder at him and sashayed her hips dramatically making her way back to the cabin. He groaned at her retreating form and the images that came to play with her words before following.

Following dinner, Mat started a fire in the fireplace while Bella grabbed a book from the bookshelf and situated herself in the recliner, letting her legs dangle over the side. Mat browsed the shelves until he found something that sparked his interest and stretched out across the couch, choosing to place his head on the end where he would be facing Bella. She idly twirled a lock of her hair around her finger as she read. He focused his eyes on the page in front of him.

They read silently for an hour or so before Mat rubbed at his eyes and breathed in deeply. His pupils constricted and flared out as he turned his gaze over to the woman sitting in the chair. Bella traced her bottom lip, back and forth with the tip of her finger. Turning the page she was reading, she kept on with the slow slide across her mouth and shifted her legs. He risked taking in a shaky breath as her scent poured into his lungs and he held it there.

"What are you reading?"

Bella was so focused on her reading that he'd actually caught her off guard. Looking up at him with hungry eyes, her finger dropped to the opening in the neck of her Henley, tracing the line between the buttons up and down. He was captivated by the movement.

"What?"

With a voice that crossed the space between them and scratched across her skin he answered, "I asked what you're reading."

"Just some fiction book, a bit of romance," She replied innocently.

"And sex I take it?"

Bella's gaze sharpened, "Why do you say that?"

"Because you're turned on, and that scent is killing me," he explained.

Emboldened by the response she had drawn out from him, Bella dropped one leg down and let her thighs part. Keeping her eyes locked on him, she let her hand slide under her shorts and ran a finger between her folds, bringing it up to her lips and let her tongue slide out to taste the moisture there.

"Hhmm, seems you're right. I am a bit wet."

He growled and shifted to adjust the growing length between his legs, "Let me see, show yourself to me, Bella."

Turning in the chair, Bella propped one leg up on each arm of the recliner and tore the shorts she was wearing off her body to expose her pussy to him. She returned her fingers to their earlier exploration, letting them slide in and out of her heat. Moaning, she felt the wetness pool as his erection grew in response to her actions. The heat in his gaze sent flames through her body.

"Your turn," Bella whispered, "Show me what watching me touch myself does to you."

Mat stood up and stripped away his shirt. He took time undoing his belt and pulling the zipper down before he pushed the denim down his hips revealing his hardened cock for her perusal. She continued to push her fingers deep inside in a slow rhythm, and she added her other hand to brush against her clit, gasping at the sensation. Mat moved to step towards her, but Bella held her finger up to stop his progress.

"Ah, ah, ah," she taunted, "I didn't say you could come over here."

Her shield pushed outwards, forcing him back and he sprawled across the couch, naked and aching as he watched her finger fuck herself.

"MMmmm, I'm so wet and you're so hard," she continued the teasing.

He took himself in his hand and gripped his aching flesh, groaning at the attention and the pleasure that the action brought.

"Does it feel good to do that?" She asked.

He could only answer in single syllables, "Yes."

"So beautiful, watching you stroke your cock. Do you like watching me fuck myself, Mat?"

"Yes…"

"But?"  
"I want to touch you, I want to taste you."

In response she spread herself even wider, pushing in deeply before bringing her fingers out and licking the fluid off. He groaned and pushed his cock up into his grasp.

"Say please…"  
"Please, Bella, let me touch you."

Getting up from her seat, she crossed the room and stood by the couch, "Sit up."

He obeyed immediately and felt her shield clamp down on him. He couldn't move. Tearing her shirt away, she stood before him naked and proceeded to run her hand back down the front of her body, taking care to pinch her nipples along the way.

"Open your mouth"

He did and she placed her fingers gently on his tongue, "Suck."

His lips closed around the offering and swirled around the skin, eyes closing as he tasted her juices on his tongue. Removing her fingers, she looked deep into his eyes.

He pleaded, "Please, Bella, more. Don't stop now."

She questioned him, "Do you want more, Mat? There's no turning back from this point. Is this what you want?"

He breathed deeply, feeling his heart race in chest, and met her intent gaze, "Bella, I'm yours, you must know that."

She straddled his lap and brought her face to his. He could feel her cool breath before her lips met his in a gentle kiss. She pulled back and looked at his face of surrender, eyes closed.

"Mat, open your eyes."

When he did, she immediately slid down his length, letting every inch of his fevered flesh fill her, opening her thighs wider so she could take in more until her clit was nestled against his skin. She moved her hips and let his fur rub against her swollen nub. He hissed from the cool envelopment of her wet pussy around his cock. She began to rock against him, placing her hand on the back of the couch, feeling the head of his dick rub back and forth across that spot inside her again and again with her movements. Her head fell back as she moaned her pleasure and he leaned forward to take her tightened nipple into his mouth. She still hadn't granted him use of his hands, but she pushed her breast into his mouth, allowing him to suck and nip at the tightened bud.

Picking up speed, he murmured against her skin, "Fuck, Bella, so good. Yes, harder, baby, ride me harder."

She looked down at him and grinned, letting go of her shield and he immediately dug his fingers into her hips, encouraging her thrusts up and down. Her thighs started to tremble and a high pitched keen tumbled from her lips.

"Ooohhh, yes."

He felt her body tighten down on his as her pussy started to milk him. He placed a tight hold on his control so he could concentrate on watching and feeling her lose control as she rode him through her orgasm.

When she started to slow down, he encouraged, "Just a little more, baby."

Leaning forward to kiss his lips, Bella continued the movement that was almost painful to her tender flesh. She moaned as her wetness allowed her to glide against him. He thrust a tongue in her mouth and tasted that mix of spice that matched her scent as he felt cum start to spill into her body in heavy pulses. He growled as it continued to flow out of him and Bella started to spasm in response. The room filled with the sounds of their release.

Panting, Bella placed her forehead against his while Mat let his hands slip up her side and pulled her into him. Placing gentle licks and kisses along her collarbone and up her neck, he nuzzled against her as she ran soothing fingers through his hair. She met his lips again and sealed the night with a gentle kiss that promised more as the stars crossed the sky.

**A/N: Shew, that was an adventure. I've had their first sex scene in my head for awhile now, waiting for the right moment, and it was quite the exhaustive effort to get it down on page. Hope it was worth the wait, and you enjoyed it. ; )**

**Thanks for the follows and the feedback. I could always use a little love to brighten my day!**

**Xoxo- Ginja**


	8. Chapter 8: Enemy Revealed

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and I am not seeking, nor will I receive any financial return or world renowned success for this particular piece of fiction. However, I do get personal satisfaction out of writing it. **

**More fluffy smut, which you really can't avoid this time, so, if that's not your thing, I'm not sure how you're going to make it through this chapter. **

_*** Chapter 8 – Enemy Revealed ***_

"Mat, _please…._stop teasing," the feminine plea filled the space surrounding the bed where porcelain skin was intertwined with russet.

Hands pinning her thighs down, the man in question allowed his tongue to slide slowly through her wetness again, letting his warm breath touch her core before he latched his lips onto it. His movements seemed lazy in their slowness, but Mat was intentionally restraining his movements to a languid pace in order to driver her to the brink of sanity.

Hips started to lift, trying to meet his mouth before he lowered it to her again and he chuckled in response.

"Now, now, try and restrain yourself, Bella, all things in good time," His smug voice matched the smirk on his face she could see when she looked down at him, growing frustration causing her to shake slightly.

_Fuck this._

In less time than it took him to fill his lungs to say another word, Bella had Mat pinned to the wall of the cabin. By the time his brain had registered her actions, she was on her knees in front of his straining cock and had run her tongue around the head before letting it slide fully into her waiting mouth.

Slamming his palms against the wall, Mat's hips thrust forward in response to her attention, desire rushing lightening fast through his system, causing his head to spin as he closed his eyes.

Letting her fingers dig slightly into the thick muscles of his thighs, Bella slid up and down, sliding her tongue from base to tip in a steady pace, hearing his heart rate soaring in her ears.

"Fuck, you have no restraint, you know that?"

Looking up at him through sable lashes, Bella slowed her movement and released her lip's hold.

Feigning sweetness, she inquired, "I'm sorry, how rude of me. Would you like me to stop?"

Fingers curling into fists at the protest his body had cried at her absence, Mat ground his teeth and looked her in the eye, "Bed, _now._"

Giggling at his slightly flared temper, Bella returned to her spot on the bed and looked at him expectantly. Brown eyes that seemed to inch closer to black looked down on her as he pulled one ankle towards him, dragging her down the sheets and then flipping her body over.

Bella's need burned hot at the turn of events and she brought her body up on hands and knees in time for him to grab hold of her waist and push deeply inside of her. Her back arched and Mat slid one hand up to twist hair around his fingers before pulling slightly.

"You know, you seem to have an issue with being in control," He accused between thrusts that were picking up speed.

"I could take it back right now if I wanted."

Covering her form with his entire body, Bella felt his voice harsh and ragged in her ear, "Stop fighting this, you are _mine._"

His claim shattered her restraint and she felt her body melt around him, fluid completion sliding over his skin, triggering his own body to fill her, to join her in releasing long held isolation and submit to being one half of a whole.

Allowing the water to spill over their bodies, Bella rested her head against Mat's chest, listening to his heart's languid pace as it provided a tempo to a new found peace she didn't realize she had been lacking.

"You know, you don't feel quite right in here."  
His words interrupted the looping track in her head where he had said she belonged to him, and Bella pulled her focus to the present moment in the shower.

"What are you talking about?"

"The shower, the hot water, it changes the temperature of your skin. I don't know, it just makes your body different, like your skin is trying to pretend to be something it isn't."

Bella pulled back enough to see the quizzical look that had crossed his features as he tried to make sense of the change. Smiling, she replied, "You prefer me being closer to the temperature of an ice cube?"

Shaking his head, he disagreed, "No, it's just…it's weird…it's not you."

"And, you know me?"

Looking down into her eyes, he searched earnestly for the answer, "Do I?"

Bella rolled the question around, feeling for an honest response, "I'd like to think you do. You were so irritating when we first met, so full of your superiority, that I refused to try and pretend to be something else. I wasn't going to play nice or attempt to make you feel better. So yes, I think I've always been just me around you."

Mat seemed content with the answer, and ran a finger between the lines of Bella's brows, smoothing out the wrinkle that had started to form, "What?"  
"Did you mean it?"

He knew exactly what she was referring to, and he questioned whether it was some weird moment of feral domination between them, the need to have the upper hand in the bedroom when, from the beginning, Bella tended to take the lead. But, time, especially the few days they had taken away from the rest of the world, had solidified the bond he felt to her, the desire to spend every moment by her side, the need to protect her, if you could protect such a creature. He felt he need not provide some lengthy explanation in response.

"Yes."  
Leaning up onto her toes, Bella pulled his head down to meet hers in a gentle kiss that pressed into a tender dance between man and woman. Letting her fingers play with the hair at the base of his neck that was curling in the steam of the shower spray, the peace that she had felt earlier spread into every limb, tension flowing away with the warm water sliding down her skin until Mat lifted her body so she could wrap legs around his waist, before leaning her against the wall as he proceeded to slide into her slowly.

His movements were unhurried and purposeful and this time she allowed him to take all the time he needed.

Sitting on a fallen log beside a bonfire, Bella listened to Cali's explanation of every ultrasound picture in her possession. She couldn't help but smile in response to the woman's overflowing excitement.

And, it was, a genuine smile.

This new life had stopped representing the end of her and Jake's future, and had simply become a thing to celebrate. Her best friend, who so often acted like a child through their many years of friendship, would be raising children of his own. There were guaranteed to be many moments of laughter as he made his way into this new role.

Her fingers were intertwined with Mat's as he carried on a conversation with Seth and the rest of the pack members, seeking to catch up on anything he had missed while he and Bella had been MIA.

Sam and Jacob both noticed the pair had returned with a bond forged stronger then when they had stood in the kitchen that morning, but they continued to tread into unknown territory without putting any stop to the relationship.

They just _couldn't._

Bella and Mat were as close to imprinting as they could be without it being so, to separate the two would inflict pain on a pack brother and Jacob's closest friend. It felt wrong, so they decided to leave the future to fate.

The rest of the pack fell in line with their leader, not wanting to bring any harm to the girl they considered family either.

The early evening held a slight chill in the air, but the fire kept it from settling in the bones. All was well until an injured howl pierced the eardrums of the group of friends. Everyone froze before a flurry of movement erupted, the men taking off for the forest line, leaving a trail of shredded clothing in their wake as skin gave way to fur. Bella held herself back, letting the pack mind take over in locating their fallen pack mate.

Breaking through a clearing of trees near the northern edge of the territory, Bella found Quil lying on his side, his lungs seeming to struggle with every breath he pulled in. Two other wolves had taken a defensive stance in front of the body, staring down the crimson eyed creature that had inflicted damage on one of their own.

Seeing Bella break through the group, the man stopped for a moment, a look of surprise crossing his features as he inspected her from head to toe, taking notice of her burnt honey colored eyes. His lip curled back in a snarl and Bella immediately locked his body down. Attempting to move, the intruder found his arms and legs incapable of completing the action.

"Stand down, Jake, I've got him," she called out to the alpha male who was inches from the vampire.

The rest of the group had circled, their collaborative anger palpable to the point that Bella shielded herself from the emotion, creating a secure cocoon where they couldn't influence her and she could think clearly.

"Well, well, well, it seems the Cullen Clan has added to its number."

"I'm not a Cullen, and they are unaware of my existence, so you're wrong about that. Question is, who are _you_?"

"That's none of your concern, nor am I willing to share such information as it will neither ensure my safety or continued existence. These wolves aren't going to allow me to go free," he gazed at the gleam of almost a dozen sets of canines waiting to tear him apart, "and if you were to release me, I'll confess I would try and take a few down before making my exit. So, it appears we are at an impasse."

Bella ignored his statement of destiny and continued to question, "Did you come looking for them? For the Cullen family?"

Having adopted a stoic expression, he only stared in response. Bella heard a slight shift in the trees beyond and turned her head quick enough to catch movement. Turning towards Jake, she directed his attention, "There's at least two more in the trees."

Secure that Bella would keep the object of their interrogation in hand, Jake sent the rest of the pack after the pair, leaving only Mat to stand guard over Quil while he and Bella dealt with the other.

"You didn't come alone? Are you part of a coven yourself?"

At the last question, the red eyed devil turned his head and replied, "I only come bearing the warning that she is coming to take revenge for that which was taken from her. She has forgotten nothing. She has only bided her time till the moment was right for the Cullen's destruction. If they are not here, she will simply wait for their return. But, now that we know about you and your litter of puppies, she will surely seek to entertain herself with destroying you until then."

Facing ahead once more to let her know that he was finished discussing anything, Bella watched the familiar stone-like trance settle in to his body. He was checking out completely, waiting for the ax to fall. There was nothing more to be gained about this unknown enemy. Jake looked at her with question.

"Do it."  
Bella went to Quil's side, trying to focus her attention on the mending wolf instead of the metallic shriek of her friend tearing the vampire apart. Quil's eyes were closed, and Bella was certain he had lost consciousness, but his body held onto his lupine form and his breathing had eased greatly since they first appeared. They would simply have to wait for him to come to in order to get the rest of the story.

"Bella…"

Without turning to look at Jake, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a beaten brass Zippo lighter. It was Charlie's, from when he occasionally shared a cigar with Billy Black while they enjoyed a day out fishing. Never having had to use it before for such a reason, Bella kept it on her as a reminder of where she came from, the man who had taught her the importance of serving and protecting that which needed protection.

Smelling oily black smoke fill the air, she closed off all breathing, shuddering at the thought of bringing something so vile into her lungs.

"Do you need help getting him back?"

"No, we can take care of him and the others captured one of the two that escaped earlier. They're bringing back the remains to be burned with this one."

"Okay, well, I think I'm going to head back to the beach. Try and clear my head. We can talk once you guys have Quil taken care of."

Still ignoring the scene unfolding behind her, Bella took off towards the heart of the reservation. Mat glanced at Jake for a moment, and seeing the man nod his head, he chased after her.

Sitting by the campfire, everyone having changed into different clothing, even Bella who was attempting to rid herself of any remnants of the night's earlier events, the group sat in silence as Bella paced back and forth.

"You don't remember the Cullens mentioning anyone that had someone out for them personally?"

Sighing, Bella rubbed her hands down her face in a very human gesture, "Jake, you know the past is cloudy at best, but no, I can't recall them saying anything. I know Jasper's past was checkered and bloody, and they always felt on edge having him around me, but being the target of someone? No, they enjoyed their mock everyday life façade that they wore so well too much to be in the crosshairs of an assassin."

Sitting beside Mat, she curled her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, she stared at the brilliant orange flames dancing back and forth, inhaling the smell of salt and sea and burning pine.

"Well, if he wasn't lying, and given the one that escaped, I don't think we're finished with whoever this is. We've been lulled into complacency lately, taking advantage of our lack of danger. We're going to have to amp up perimeter guarding."

"Jake"

He turned to meet her serious expression.

"You've mentioned before that your dad knows how to get in touch with Carlisle."

"Bella, who's to say that guy knew what he was talking about, that he wasn't lying? There's no need to make that call yet."

"What if you had lost Quil tonight? Would it be serious enough then? At least make the call and let them know that their name was brought up; see if Carlisle has a clue who it could be. You don't need to mention me at all."

Jacob was weighing the validity of her words when Sam spoke up, "She's right, Jacob, we need to be prepared, whatever it takes."

"I'll be fine. You don't need to protect me."

Sighing in resignation, Jacob caved under the push of the group, "Fine, fine. Let's give the leech brigade a call."

Deciding that she didn't want to be in hearing range of Jacob's discussion with the good doctor, Bella and Mat headed out to their favorite cliff. Bella took comfort in nestling up to what she claimed was now "her wolf," letting her fingers drift through his fur. He tried to ignore the adrenaline that kept threatening to spike at the thought of more hidden killers lingering in the trees, waiting for the moment to rip Bella from his grasp.

"Too bad we can't go back into hiding," she mused out loud.

He turned his head to look at her, and motioned for the trees.

"You know we can't. They're our family and we would never leave them at a time like this"

He grumbled in response, huffing out a breath and turning his head to look the other direction.

"Aw, now, don't be like that…" She teased ruffling her fur.

In response he knocked into her with his shoulder and when she started to laugh, he continued to roll into her, until he was partially laying on his back on top of her while she shook in mirth under his overly large frame. Internally, he smiled at the sound, barely moving when she put forth next to no effort to remove him from his current location. Wrestling with each other that continued to the point that a nearby tree was broken, the two continued on till they heard approaching footsteps.

Taking care to brush off dirt and debris from her clothes, Bella couldn't help but laugh when she noticed a straggling branch caught in the fur behind his ear. She reached over to pull it out, causing Mat to flinch at her movement and turn his position in challenge, to which she jumped on his back and wrestled with him.

"Stop moving, you idiot, you have a twig stuck in your fur," she shrieked with laughter.

Jacob just stood there with arms crossed, watching the two, an understated smile on his face.

"Could you two try and rein it in?"

Mat stopped moving and Bella slid onto the ground gracelessly, laughing more when she hit the dirt before jumping to her feet and dusting herself off again.

With bright eyes, she gave Jacob her attention and he was surprised to see the same look on her face that he'd often admired on Cali's. That care free joy that seemed to light her up from the inside when he did something that brought her pleasure. That look of…love? Bella was in love?

Snapping her fingers, Bella interrupted Jacob's descent into thought, "Hello? Jacob? Anyone home?"

Clearing his throat, he came back, "Yeah, I just wanted to let you know I talked to Carlisle. He doesn't have any idea of who this vampire was referring to, but felt it was worth paying attention to."

"It seems the family is a little split up in locations right now, but they want to return, for a visit at least. Take a look around and see if they can find something we may have missed."

Bella crossed her arms, "And, you said?"  
"I told them okay. Bella, you know I have to protect the tribe. It's my number one duty. So, I don't know, maybe you and Mat can leave, hide out till after they've left."

"No."  
"No?"

"No, this is my home. I live here now. They left for whatever asinine reason. I'm not bowing to their appearance, trying to make things easy on them. I'm staying here."

"You sure?"

Bella glared in response, and Mat growled at her shift in posture. Jacob held his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, I got it, you're staying. They'll be here day after tomorrow. Carlisle said he'd call when they were getting close. I've got to let the rest of the group know."  
Bella nodded and watched Jake walk away, chewing on her lower lip. Mat let her stand there in silence before bumping into her and reminding her of his presence.

"I'm fine," she dismissed his concern, "It'll all be fine, right? You'll stay with me and we'll find out how to help the pack and then the Cullens can just pack up and go back to where they came from."

If only she felt that her words held any truth.

**A/N: So, I'm more than a little excited to explore this little plot twist. Thanks for those of you who've stepped on board to follow this story. Your show of support is much appreciated!**

**Xoxo - Ginja**


	9. Chapter 9: We Meet Again

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

**I'm kind of in love with this chapter. I must confess, having the Cullens meet back up with Bella was satisfying and entertaining to write. Enjoy!**

_*** We Meet Again ***_

Bella paced back and forth across the cabin's floor, trying to be as stealthy as possible so as not to wake Mat from where he was sleeping in the bed. She had worn the man out, taking every bit of anxiety, stress, and nerves out through sex.

And, more sex.

And then?

Sex again.

He'd need to sleep for a week to try and recuperate, but he never complained. The way they fit together was perfection, what was there to complain about?

Her visual memories of the past were always blurry. She could remember that the members of the Cullen clan were attractive, and the younger ones had caused a stir when they attended high school, but other than that, it was like looking through a dirty window. There weren't any pictures of them to refer to, so Bella would just have to wait till they arrived to put her mental camera lens into focus.

But the emotional fingerprints left on the inside, those would never go away. She could remember the thrill of young romance with a boy who for all intents and purposes, always posed a danger to her, like playing with fire and waiting to see how long you could hold your finger in the flame before the burn set in.

There was the little sister who was annoying as fuck, always rambling on about clothes and her stoic, silent boyfriend, the giant teddy bear of a brother who had always made her laugh and treated her as an equal along with his bitchy blonde, then the good "doctor" and his Suzy Homemaker bride.

Bella wanted to travel back in the past and smack her younger self up side the head for not seeing that such a possessive force in her life with stalker like tendencies was a bad idea, but she'd thought his devotion was ssssooooo romantic. _*gag*_ And she didn't really know what to think about a family that was okay with Edward keeping her as some sort of pet, but all families suffer from some form of dysfunction, and I guess when you've been together for a hundred years, you lose your sense of detecting what was acceptable and what isn't.

Obviously, they hadn't thought too terribly much of Bella, since no one had returned to check on the girl that was supposed to be his eternal soul mate. _*gag*_

She'd been young and fragile, like a bud that was trying to push through the ground after a long winter. Edward had stomped the potential bloom into the dirt as he exited the forest that afternoon when he informed her he wasn't interested and his family would be leaving her life as if they'd never existed.

When she'd woken up as a vampire, with a murdered father, a mother she could never return and pack of werewolves for companions, she'd been royally pissed. It was like a revisit to the abandonment camp. She was in a sense alone…again.

However, she couldn't deny, when Jacob said the Cullens were coming back, she was nervous. Whether it was seeing the entire family or just facing Edward, she couldn't pinpoint the source of her inability to settle down. And, she didn't know how having an entire group of vampires that shared her same lifestyle would affect her relationship with Mat and the other guys. They were her family, but it would always be a werewolf party with a sidekick vampire.

Would she be tempted to follow the Cullens, to see what it would be like to live the life of a vampire with others of her kind?

Mat shifted in his sleep and the sheet slid down over that little dip above his hip. Bella licked her lips and started stalking in his direction, but stopped herself with a mental reminder that Mat was going to need rest if he wanted to stand by her side when the vampire brigade arrived the following morning.

Huffing, she decided to go for a run, maybe feed a little so she'd be at the top of her game for the return of her past.

Jake and the boys were sitting at the breakfast table, though this time everyone was slow to eat, food being pushed around on plates without much interest.

Very few of the wolves had interacted with the Cullen family when they'd last lived in Forks, most of the pack being children at the time, and those that did only saw the group as the reason their phasing had been triggered.

Bella stood at the window, staring out into the woods, completely still and blocking out the jumble of nerves that were behind her.

"Bella, move," Jake ordered.

Turning, she looked around and frowned, "What?"  
"Move, breathe, shift, bite your fingernails, play with your hair, anything. Just don't stand there like you're made out of marble. The pack's already on edge and you're playing creepy statue. It's not helping.

Sighing she shifted from one leg to the other, "Sorry."  
"No problem."  
Emily, Cali and Mia floated around the group, keeping relatively quiet, honoring the tension that seemed to be a palpable presence in the room.

Checking the time on the wall, Jacob looked around the table, "Carlisle should be calling in a little while. I thought we'd meet at the river edge that runs alongside the border of the reservation. We can converse and stay on our side for the time being. No need to cross lines if we don't need to. Bella, what are your plans?"  
"I'd like to stay out of sight for awhile, if that's okay with you. Honestly, Jake, my memories aren't exactly clear, I almost feel like I'm walking into this as blind as you are."

"That's fine. Sam and I will remain in our human form, but I'd prefer the rest of the group in wolf formation. I know Edward can read minds, so it won't matter either way what shape you're in."

"I can try shielding you in, if you'd like to stay under the radar. It may work to your advantage," Bella offered.

"Yeah, yeah, that'd be good. They don't really need to know what they've missed out on the last few years, we just need to know if they have any insight as to what's been going on," Jacob made to get up from the table, "Everyone ready to head out?"

Bella looked at the group of brothers that she'd come to consider her family, a mass of tall, dark warriors with a mixture of unique personalities. She prayed silently that at the end of this day, she'd still think of them the same way.

Bella rested on a thick pine branch, high above the group waiting at the edge of the water. Jacob and Sam were quietly conversing with one another, while the other wolves milled around, the breeze ruffling their fur in the sunlight. Mat was seated at the back of the group, refusing to move from the position that put him closest to Bella. His stance was tightly held, making only the slightest movement. Seth and a few of the other young ones had grown bored from waiting and were rolling around, play fighting with each other.

The picture was very similar to wolves you would find in the wild, if you didn't count the fact that they were about four times the size of your average animal.

Mat, Paul, Quil and Embry were the first to turn their heads towards the direction of an incoming breeze, their hackles standing at attention. Bella dropped her shield around the group and looked the same direction, the sound of swiftly moving feet having reached her ears.

They broke through the line of trees in pairs – Carlisle and Esme first, followed by Jasper and Alice, Emmett and Rosalie and finally Edward.

She examined the flawless features of his face, every one without blemish, the line of his jaw, the artfully tousled hair. Her eyes continued to roam downward to his frame, which was tall but sleek and slim. In a word, he was….pretty…yes, that was it, pretty, like a beautiful European male model. There didn't seem to be an ounce male ruggedness in his body, no, he was like a well drawn piece of artwork, and she didn't feel any bit of attraction to him. Maybe years spent with her wild companions had changed her taste in men, maybe she was somehow dazzled by a hidden vampiric power Edward had used on her, but it didn't have a hold on her any longer.

His eyes were searching the scene in front of him, brows furrowed in concentration. Jasper was the first to speak, his voice quiet and tense, trying to stay out of ear shot of the other side, and yet Bella could hear every word clearly.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't hear them, any of them. I'm looking at what, eight wolves besides Jacob and Sam? And I can't hear one single thought. It's just empty noise," Edward shook his head confused.

Jasper's trained militant eyes were scouring the pack, searching the tree lines, but his gaze stayed close to the ground. He would never suspect they had a vampire of their own in the tree tops, a secret weapon.

"Carlisle," Jacob nodded in the man's direction, "welcome back."  
"It's good to see you, Jacob Black. I hadn't realized that you were one of the young men that had gone into transition during our last stay, but I'm not surprised being Ephraim Black's descendant."

"Well, I switched around the time you skipped town," Jacob couldn't keep all of the resentment he felt towards their guests out of his voice.

"Skipped town? Interesting choice of words," Edward seemed intent on trying to pick the pack leader apart through verbal dissection if he couldn't see into their thoughts, "I didn't realize you felt so harshly towards our departure."

Jacob frowned, "More toward the mess you left behind."

Carlisle lifted his hands in question, "I'm sorry, Jacob, I didn't realize you had experienced any trouble after we left. Did something happen? We were never contacted."

Edward immediately interrupted, "Did something happen to Bella?"

The growl that tore from Mat's throat echoed off the rocks of the shoreline, and Jasper immediately zeroed in on his form, running through a list of reasons why this particular one had such a violent reaction to Edward's inquiry.

"There was a nomad vampire that returned to the area after you left," Jacob explained, "He broke into Bella's place, though I'm not certain as to why, and killed Charlie. Bella wasn't home at the time."  
Edward seemed a little edgier, frantic with his next questions, "Is Bella okay? Were you able to find her, protect her?"

Jacob crossed his arms and locked eyes with the monster he hated most, the one who was the cause of so much pain he had witnessed in the girl that was his closest companion, "She's no longer _alive_."

Alice's gasp was lightening quick as she grabbed Jasper's hand in hers, and Rosalie looked as though she felt slightly guilty.

Esme was the first to speak, "I'm so sorry, Jacob. Bella was such a lovely young woman, and it is tragic that her life ended so soon. Please accept our condolences."

Edward searched the ground, pain etched into his features as he processed the news Jacob had shared.

"You broke her, you know," Jacob saw the opening and decided to go for the kill, "When you left, she was shattered, depressed. She faded with each day into a shadow of the warm, smiling, laughing woman we all knew."

Bella waited to see what Edward would offer in way of apology, but he only seemed to adopt an heir of superiority, "I did what I thought was best. It is tragic that the woman I loved died by the very thing I tried to save her from, but she left this world with her soul intact."

Mat continued to snarl, having moved to stand to the left of Jacob, teeth bared in Edward's direction.

Jacob barked out a laugh, "God, do you believe that shit you come up with? She's better off dead with her soul intact? Bella was better than you ever could possibly be, even with an eternity of years ahead of you, and you want to try and absolve yourself of all responsibility with some sort of grandiose thinking that we possibility couldn't understand. Go fuck yourself."

The other wolves had formed a line to the left and right of their leader, and Jasper took stock that their collaborative attention was turned completely towards Edward. They were a fuse of anger and wrath waiting for a flame to spark the explosion.

"Jacob, I know things didn't end well between Bella and Edward, and obviously your pack suffered significant grief from the passing of the Swans, but it was never our intention for such things to happen," Carlisle attempted to placate the group, "Was this some sort of trick, telling us you had a problem, in order to get Edward here, to exact revenge on him?"

Bella chose that moment to reveal herself, leaping off the branch and landing behind the barrier her friends had created. She slowly walked forward, and Mat immediately shifted over to allow her entry to the group's formation, by his side. She placed one hand on his shoulder, taking comfort in the familiar heat she found there.

Emmett started to snicker as he took in her new form, "Holy shit, she's a vampire."

Alice made to move, but Bella pushed her back with her powers. Jasper felt the shift of a physical field brushing up against him and looked over at her, one eyebrow raised. Bella responded with a 'don't fuck with me' smile.

"Bella?" Carlisle asked disbelievingly, "Is that really you?"

"Unfortunately, I can't say I remember you as well as you do me, but I'm sure you can recall how confusing the past can be when you first wake up after the change."

"I thought you said she died," Carlisle turned accusingly on Jacob.

"Technically, I said she was no longer alive. And, she isn't, well not in the sense that she has a heartbeat or bleeds anymore. The devil's in the details."

The other wolves seemed to laugh and snicker at having pulled one over on what was supposed to be the 'world's greatest predators.'

"How are you doing that?" Jasper questioned her.

"The fact that Edward can't hear us, and Alice can't get any closer?" Bella clarified while Jasper nodded.

"How does Edward read minds in the first place? How does Alice see the future? You can't be completely surprised, Jasper. Edward could never read me when I was alive, I can't imagine that would have weakened with my change. If nothing else, it appears vampire venom amped my ability up a few decibels."

Bella mentally pushed back on Jasper, increasing her force slowly so he could feel it before his entire body started to move backwards. He looked down at where his feet were losing their grip on the ground, and looking at Bella she winked and released him. He tipped his head in grudging respect.

"You could have come and found us. You could have come to me," Edward broke into the conversation happening to the right of him.

Bella's head whipped around and anger fueled her words as she broke rank and stalked towards him, "Come and found you? Why? Last time I checked, there was some bullshit nonsense about not wanting me or loving me or whatever else you vomited out that day in the forest before you left me there. _Alone._ Or, am I suffering some form of selective amnesia that keeps me from remembering what actually happened that day?"

She quickly closed the gap and locked him down with her mind, crushing him in her hold until his knees hit the rocks and he was kneeling in front of her. Carlisle made to move, but Mat and some of the others snarled their disapproval. Esme grabbed his arm to stop Carlisle's movement, while Jasper and the other Cullens looked on with growing interest.

Bella leaned over to bring her eyes in line with Edward's, her voice razor sharp as she continued, "One word, Edward, give me the one word I need to hear after all the ways you fucked me and my life over."

Edward looked into her eyes, searching, mouth gaping, "Bella, I…."

_Crack!_

Bella's fist met his jaw, knocking him back onto the ground, and the force of the impact had caused fissures in Edward's skin and the group could see the imprint her knuckles had left.

Leaning over his prostrate form, Bella spat out, "Wrong. The word was 'sorry', dickhead."

Standing up, she made her way back to Jacob, "I think I'm done with this little reunion. How about we try and talk a little later?"

"Whatever you say, Bells. Carlisle, I think it best we all take a little breather. We'll be in touch, yeah?"

Esme was bent over Edward, who had yet to get up from the ground where Bella still had him pinned down. As she entered the tree line, Bella released the hold on him and he sprang up into a defensive stance.

Carlisle looked between his son and the girl they'd left behind at his adamant request before replying, "Sure, you can reach us at our home here when you're ready."

Emmett was bent forward, laughing hysterically at the turn of events, "Fuck, that was awesome!"

Rose smacked his arm, but watched Bella's retreating form with a new respect, and even Jasper had to smirk at the feisty girl that had laid their mind-reading brother low.

Coming back to town had suddenly become very interesting.

**A/N: Did you have as much fun with that as I did? Edward's such an ass. **


	10. Chapter 10: Wild Card

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.**

**A/N: This is an edited form of the Chapter 10 I posted this past Friday. Not that there was inherently anything wrong with that chapter, just that when I got home and re-read what I had written on my FFN app, I was appalled by some of my grammatical/word usage errors. I couldn't let them stand, it would have cost me hours of sleep and some twitching over the problems. And, I did add a little more here and there. It isn't going to change the story line if you've already read Chapter 10, so feel free to ignore this redo if you'd like! Hope you guys had an amazing Memorial Day weekend. Thanks for the love and the follows! Xoxo- Ginja**

_*** Chapter 10 – Wild Card ***_

The Cullens gathered around the living room of their Forks residence, as the morning light slipped into afternoon sun. The air was stale from the house being closed up for ten years. Ten long years where it seems more than the seasons had changed.

"Well that was unexpected…" Carlisle began.

He was standing next to the fireplace with the rest of the family spread across the white leather couch and love seat that were positioned in the middle of the open room. Only Edward remained distanced from the others, sitting at his baby grand piano in the corner, idly rubbing his hand over the ebony wood that covered and protected the keys, lost in thought and yet listening to the others.

"You couldn't hear anything any of them were thinking, Edward?"

He didn't look up to meet Carlisle's questioning glance, but merely replied, "Not a one."

"And, it seems her shield is not only capable of blocking out a mental intrusion, but she can manipulate it, like an invisible force capable of physical contact. She is, in essence, almost virtually unstoppable," Jasper added in, "I can't imagine she was easy to control when she was first turned. I'm honestly astonished Jacob and the wolves were able to manage it, and yet, they are fiercely protective of her, as if she's a member of the wolf pack and not a vampire. I wouldn't doubt that they would try to cut us down should we cross the treaty line, but Bella coexists with them, side by side."

"I just don't understand," Alice whined, "I thought we were supposed to be best friends."

Rosalie snorted gracelessly, "Friends? She was desperate for Edward's attention and you'd barely give the girl five inches worth of freedom without one of the two of you in her space. I don't think you exactly gave her a choice as to whether she wanted your company. I like her better the way she is now, and not that besotted child that followed Edward around like a puppy dog. The whole thing just made me sick."

"What about now, Alice?" Carlisle ignored Rosalie's criticism, his scientific brain wanting to pick apart this new mystery he'd been introduced to, "Can you see Bella's future if you focus on her?"

Alice allowed the features of her face to smooth out peacefully, and closed her eyes to concentrate on Carlisle's request. After a few moments she sighed in defeat, "Nothing, just white, like someone has dropped a screen."

"And us, what about when we meet with the wolves again?" Jasper inquired, not liking the idea of facing an unknown situation. The wolves had caught them off guard before, and he wanted to be prepared for the possibility of walking in blind again.

"No, I see nothing about the meeting. I know we leave for the meeting, and I can see us approaching the reservation boundary again, but then it's just white."

"She's essentially a wild card, an unknown variable that we can't seem to navigate around," Jasper thought out loud to the rest of the group.

Edward had listened to Carlisle's mind speculate how far reaching Bella's powers could reach, while Jasper had reverted to his military training, not that he considered Bella an enemy, he just didn't know what to make of her. There was always the chance that, given her relationship with Jacob and the rest, she would aid their side if a fight broke out between the two sides.

Edward thought everyone was giving Bella too much credit. Sure she was a good student when they had attended Forks High School together, and she was well read and observant, but honestly, the girl lacked very little drive or initiative. When she awoke as a vampire, she was in the midst of Jacob and his friends, so of course, she naturally let them sweep her along. Now that Edward and his family had returned, he thought it would take very little effort to get her to change direction again.

"She's Bella Swan, daughter to Charlie and Renee, the girl who could barely make it across a flat surface and loved classic romance novels," Edward interrupted, "If any of us knew Bella, it's me. Maybe I should try and talk with her one-on-one, see if I can't get her to open up."

Laughter erupted from across the room, and Edward turned a disapproving frown in the direction of Emmett's outburst, "Seriously, Edward, did Bella kill some of your brain cells when she attacked you at the river? You couldn't honestly think she wishes to speak with you? Seriously, dude, she can't stand you."

"Not that I'd expect you to understand, Emmett, but I think Bella allowed her emotions to get the better of her after not seeing us for so many years, " he explained the woman's outburst as if he were an expert as to what had happened that afternoon, "It's understandable, after being forced to live with those Neanderthals she calls friends. But, I wouldn't say that Bella and I are a lost cause."

"You're delusional, you know that, right?" Rosalie snidely remarked as she stood up from the loveseat she was perched on, cueing to the rest of the group that she had experienced enough of this little family discussion, "Move on, Edward. I'm fairly certain Bella has, and good for her. Emmett, I think I'd like to go freshen up before we have to go for another pow-wow. Coming?"

Emmett shook his head at his foolish older brother in disbelief before following his mate out of the room. Edward dismissed their objections to his line of thinking without much effort. Rosalie was vapid and Emmett a simpleton, their opinions held little worth in his eyes.

Alice came over to sit by her brother and laid her head on his shoulder, "It'll work out, Edward. I know what I saw before she was changed, and I'm certain it will be fine, even if we can't see the outcome any longer.

"I wouldn't count on that, Alice," Jasper stopped her from feeding into Edward's thoughts any further, "I think Rosalie may have something there."

His mind replayed the scene at the water's edge – the lone wolf who had seemed excessively aggressive toward Edward when he had mentioned Bella, the way Bella had placed her hand on that very same creature when she had first presented herself to the rest of the group, the way he followed closely behind her when she left. Intuition told him there was more to Bella's relationship with the wolves, or at least one male pack member in particular, than mere companionship. It would be interesting to see what new information he could obtain when they met again.

Bella wanted nothing more than to make a run for the cliff. To reach the edge and dive off into the ocean below, allowing the push and pull of the tide to overwhelm her senses and drown out the emotions of the morning.

But instead, she went with the others, making their way back to the ring of fallen trees that made up the unofficial meeting place of the wolf pack when they needed to discuss things. Mat followed behind her.

She moved on auto-pilot, allowing her mind to focus on that morning's meeting. One thing was for certain, there was very little she found desirable when it came to what the Cullen coven had to offer. Carlisle was annoying with his peace keeping, politician-like ways and Esme followed him around like a shadow except when she needed to mother one of her "children." Alice had angered Bella when she assumed they were long lost besties, ready to share a girl's night and catch up.

And Edward…Edward was nauseating in his inability to see any wrong in how the past had played out, refusing any responsibility and acting as if they could just pick up where he'd left her in the thicket of trees behind her father's home. _Fat fucking chance there._

No, it was Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper that she had any interest in.

Jasper's myriad bite marks that covered his arms and neck, visible to her eyes now, brought with it a certain amount of respect for the man's ability to survive and thrive. He could probably answer her questions about this new life she that had started 10 years ago, and she felt his tutelage wouldn't be full of fluff, but that his knowledge would be invaluable.

Emmett and Rose were real – there were no false facades to be found in either, what you see was what you got. Bella could see why they were a good match, both accepting the other just as they were, kind of like her and Mat.

It might be nice to spend some time with other vampires, now that she was one, and if she had to pick, she had her line-up list formed.

Stopping at Quil's house so Mat could change, Bella found herself pinned up against the siding by a very hot, sweaty male whose lips had caught her mouth in a searing kiss. Teeth biting into her lip, hair fisted in his grip as he attacked the line of her neck.

Bella smirked in response to his attention, "Possessive much?"

Mat pulled back to look in her eyes and was warmed to see her still look at him that same way, a mix of desire and appreciation, "You are fierce and beautiful and strong and I…"

She cut off his sentence with a kiss, not really wanting to know where he was going with his outpouring of words. Mat had been struggling with the urge to tear Edward Cullen piece by piece and the shared pack mind had assured him that they would back up his actions, unknown threat be damned. But Mat held back and his girl had come out, fangs bared and sent that pansy-ass fucker flying. Back arrow straight, she hadn't cowered under reliving the past, but stood strong with his brothers, protecting them from the mind reader.

Mat knew he was already slipping to the point that splitting from Bella would be painful, but now he simply dismissed the idea. If she'd have him, he'd blind himself to every other female that walked the planet. He'd fight every inch of any imprint pressed on him to remain by her side.

He had claimed Bella as his, but he'd give himself to her as well, if she'd accept him.

Legs wrapped around his waist, Mat pushed her up against the building, tugging at the bottom hem of her shirt.

"Down, boy, "Bella chided, "We don't have the time right now, babe. The others will be waiting for us. You know that."

Laying his forehead on her shoulder, Mat tried to clear the lust that was roaring through his veins and calm his rapid breathing.

"Cabin?" He suggested half-heartedly.

She giggled in response, a very girlish sound to his ears, "As much as I'd love to give in and say yes, I think that will have to wait. But, I promise to make it up to you."

"Promise?"

"Absolutely, I'm all yours," Bella assured.

The Cullens had to wait till late in the afternoon before Jake made the call to try for meeting number two.

Once everyone had gathered at the beach, the boys had cheered Bella on for the beat down she had delivered to their least favorite blood-sucker and celebrated in the fact that they had cover from outside prying thanks to Bella's shield.

Jacob had known what the answer would be before he asked, but he still questioned Bella to see if she wanted to hang back and avoid further interaction with their guests. As expected, she insisted that she could handle the meeting, and the Alpha had zero doubt that she could.

Choosing to only take Bella and four of the wolves in their human forms for this outing, Jacob and the other five stood in a small line at the edge of the river.

Jasper had joined Carlisle in the front for this meeting, nodding to Bella in respect and looking down to where her and Mat's hands were intertwined. Bella followed his gaze and realized that she hadn't even noticed what they'd done, Mat was like a magnet, and they just pulled together in some form of connection when they had the chance. She arched an eyebrow in challenge to the sandy haired blonde across from her, but he merely shrugged and put his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"So, " Jake began, "the two vampires we took out the day I called you were red-eyed, but before killing the one who attacked Quil, we were able to restrain and question him. He was the one that mentioned your family."

"Carlisle said you mentioned on the phone that he had warned you that there would be more attacks?" Jasper questioned.

Bella spoke up, "He said, 'I only come bearing the warning that she is coming to take revenge for that which was taken from her. She has forgotten nothing. She has only bided her time till the moment was right for the Cullens' destruction. If they are not here, she will simply wait for their return.' Those were his exact words."

"She? You were unable to get him to answer who 'she' is?"

Sighing, Bella tried to hold back a snarl, "Jasper, I'm not exactly trained in vampire interrogation techniques, so no, I didn't get anything else from him. I had him bound from moving, but he had shut down, completely zoned out, no longer with us. He had stopped trying to fight because he knew we had the upper hand and we weren't going to let him go, so what was the point in helping us out any? I saw him to be a lost cause, and I let Jake take him down."

"I'm sorry if you don't like the way we handled things. We didn't lose anyone in the attack, and the wolves were able to take out another, but one did escape. I didn't think vampires usually traveled in groups, and I don't think 'she' was one of the ones hiding in the trees because dead guy seemed to think that our mystery woman would find it entertaining to destroy us while waiting for your return."

Racking his brain for answers, Jasper asked, "What direction did the one that got away head?"

Bella looked to Jake who answered "North-east away from the coast."

"Not south?"

"No, and we haven't had any scent trails coming from the south, why? Do you know something?"

"Well the grandeur of impending doom, the theatrics of it all remind me of Maria. But, she's been happy running her coven in the South for decades, why change now? Why come North now?"

"Excuse me, but, who is Maria?" Mat asked.

Jasper took the man's interruption as a chance to take a closer look. Dark hair that curled down into his eyes that were an intriguing reddish-brown shade, and a body that was built like Emmett's – not necessarily huge, but thick. He seemed comfortable by Bella's side, as if there wasn't anything about her that screamed danger to him. And at the same time, Jasper noticed that he didn't try to stand in front of her, blocking her from the rest of the group, but was simply by her side. He wondered what the pack thought of this relationship that was obviously not the result of one of their star-crossed imprinting escapades. Hell, for that much, what would the Volturri say about a vampire and a wolf together.

He shook off the side trail his thoughts had taken before answering, "She's my sire, the one who turned me. She's a power hungry vampire that resides in the South, and she takes great pride in knowing that she and her coven are pretty much unbeatable. They're a well-oiled machine that control a very large portion of that part of the US and Mexico. I can see how she'd find Bella a threat, but I don't know what she has against us. I left her and joined with Carlisle years ago, and I figured she had just accepted that one lone vampire wasn't worth the trouble of coming after. She's never moved to try and get me back into her army before now."

"What do you mean, she'd see Bella as a threat? Bella isn't trying to take over anyone's territory," Mat reasoned in response.

"No, she isn't staging an attack, but she's extremely powerful. I don't know how far reaching your shield is, but Bella, if you were strong enough to hold back an army…" Jasper drifted off in thought, "Bella, do you mind if we try something?"

Jake started to object, but Bella's curiosity won out, "Sure, Jasper, what do you want to do?"

"I want you to stand alone and shield yourself completely. Then we're going to try and break through, we won't hurt you, I just want to see if we can get to you, okay?"

Bella crossed the ground towards the line of vampires, breaking away from Jake and the others, giving a clear area of space around all sides. The men she left behind grumbled, but Jake held his hand up to signal that the matter was Bella's decision and they were to drop the matter.

"Emmett come in from her left, Rose from behind, Edward you take her right, and I'm going to come in the front. Alice, you try and break through if you see an opportunity. On my count," Jasper directed.

Bella had thought maybe they would try one at a time, but when Jasper gave the signal, it was all at once.

In the beginning, the physical aspect of Bella's shield was unpredictable, it seemed to respond primarily to her emotions. If she felt threatened, it would form a barrier around her and no one could get any closer. She didn't intentionally use it against anyone, it just occurred sporadically. But over the years, she started to connect with the very fiber of her power, realizing that it was malleable, like a sheet of metal and she could shape it as she needed. If there was something heading in from one side, she made a wall. Coming at her from all directions? No problem. And as she pushed outwards towards their incoming forms, she heard something above and realized Alice had tried coming in from a high vantage point, as if she expected Bella to form four walls, but no ceiling. In response, Bella gave one simple mental shove, forming an expanding sphere over her body and all five were sent backwards.

"Okay, now try and contain us, gather us up," Jasper and the rest tried once again approaching Bella's lone form, but this time she used the shape of her force to push them away and corral them together until they were amassed in a small group that couldn't make any progress of escaping from her hold.

"And one more time, but you can decide how best to deal with the situation."

Bella could hear Jasper ask Carlisle to join in as well, and she was ready for the additional member, thinking Jasper was planning to add others in one at a time, to see how many she could hold back, but what she hadn't planned on was Jasper breaking form and zeroing in on Mat.

Anger gripped her focus, till she felt electric and red as she shot off a wave that sent Jasper flying into a rocky wall, his body pushed into the granite side. Alice immediately screamed in shock and raced to where her husband was, the rest of the group, both wolves and vamps stood still.

Emmett had joined his sister and gave Jasper a hand as the vampire removed himself from his position, bones snapping back into place and healing as he walked. Bella refused to apologize, as her anger still boiled that he would even try and move towards one of her own. Jasper stopped three feet from her, taking in Bella's lethal glare and set jaw line before he grinned.

"Yeah, I wouldn't fuck with you in a battle, that's for damn sure. Well done."

"I could have killed you, you know that?"

He simply shrugged in response as if it was no big deal, "I took a chance."

"Jasper Whitlock, you took a chance? What the hell do you mean, you took a chance?," the tiny harpy shrieked alongside him.

"Most fun I've had in a long time," Jasper continued to smile and ignored the complaints coming from the woman to his left.

"Baby girl's got mad skills! Damn, Bella!" Emmett rambled on, lifting a hand up in high five formation, waiting for Bella to react.

She looked from Jasper to Emmett, both grinning like fools, "You two are idiots."

And then she met Emmett's waiting hand with her own before a small smile made it onto her own face.

"I think we need to discuss possible battle tactics. I still don't know what we're facing," Jasper suggested, "If it's okay with you, Jacob, I'd like to stick around and see if we can't ferret out who the threat is. And, if you're up for it, I'd be willing to help your guys learn how to face off one of our kind."

Jacob still felt as though they hadn't gotten any closer to uncovering anything, but he also knew having the opportunity to get to know the enemy by training with one of their kind was worth looking into.

"Yeah, we could do that," Jacob agreed, "Let me figure out a patrol schedule and then we can take turns training with you. I know you guys don't need rest, so maybe we can take advantage of both day and night maneuvers."

Jasper nodded, "Sounds good to me. We'll also run the perimeter from this side, see if we pick up on anything you've missed. I still want to do some searching southward."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow it is."

They may have a common purpose in discovering who the mystery female was, but the two sides weren't going to shake hands just yet. The other wolves waited for Jacob to turn his back and run back towards the reservation before they turned to follow, casting a wary eye on the group of vampires. Bella turned with her side of the group and had started to make her way back towards the woods when Edward made his move.

"Bella… Bella, wait, I wanted to talk to…"

Bella rolled her eyes and sent him flying towards the trees on the Cullens' side of the treaty line, stating over her shoulder, "Not interested."

She could hear Emmett's bear of a laugh echo through the air once more.


	11. Chapter 11: Torn Apart

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

**A/N: It is time once again to hit that warning button and let you know, Dear Reader, that this chapter is of the sex-fueled, illicit material and violent behavior variety. It took more than a few rounds of listening to NIN's "Closer" to get me through some of the good stuff, but that is such a fan-fucking-tastic sex song if there ever was one. So, if this isn't your thing, you know what to do. Turn yourself around and head back to the lobby and find a story with fluffy bunnies and rainbows.**

**The chapter is short, but hey, I had to stop at some point, and to push further would have meant stepping to a point where it would have become the 4000+ chapter. So till tomorrow… xoxo- Ginja**

_*** Chapter 11 – Torn Apart ***_

For the next few days, the wolves would exit the reservation to a field that became neutral territory to both sides. Jasper was a demanding trainer to both vampire and wolf. Since Bella's presence neutralized the gifts that had once given Alice and Edward and advantage, they had to sharpen their combat skills. Alice was quick to utilize her small size and speed to an advantage, weaving through attack maneuvers like a quick fox. Edward, ever stubborn, wouldn't let go of his aggravation over being handicapped by his ex's shield. She did not always protect her boys in a match with one of the gifted Cullen clan, feeling as though she would handicap them if they started to rely too heavily on her protection and she were to be absent from a fight, but when it came to Edward, she cloaked whoever he was up against.

His demeanor had changed with each day, sinking into anger when Bella refused to acknowledge his presence. So, when it was his chance to spar, he came out with claws and fangs bared. Both sides always stopped short when it came to inflicting actual damage, but Edward had his "slips" that resulted in mending bones and tension between the sides. Jasper had been forced to exile him from the rest of the group on more than one occasion.

When it came to Mat versus Edward in a match?

It hadn't taken long for the vampires to catch on to the bond between Bella and the man, and the majority of the group had chosen to follow the wolves' lead and leave the couple alone. But Edward was disgusted that he had been replaced with a "dog." Mat had a personal vendetta against the male vampire for the pain he inflicted on Bella, and sought retribution of his own. When the two met head on, which Jasper learned early on to keep to a minimum, they tore into each other. Edward had lost a limb more than once, and while biting was off limits, Edward's strength could still twist an arm out of socket or gauge fingers into flesh.

Fortunately for Mat, Edward was so focused on his rage, he didn't bother to pay much attention to Jasper's instruction and so his fighting style didn't vary much. With Bella blocking his mind from the other's intrusion, Mat took advantage of the learned blind spots in Edward's defense and had his jaws open and waiting at the vampire's neck before he had time to register what had happened.

The rest of the Cullens had quickly grown tired of Edward's behavior and refused to offer solace if the male called foul.

Having completed another round of training, everyone made their separate ways from the field, dirty and worn down.

They had worked in groups that day and Edward had tried to take another crack at Mat, resulting in a chunk of his shoulder being torn away, but not before he had cracked a few of the wolf's ribs. Mat's annoyance level had reached a peak and he was mentally strung taught as he followed Bella towards the trees. She could sense his aggravation, as it electrified the air around him, crackling and popping and causing his fur to stand on end.

"How about we take the night off and go to the cabin till tomorrow?" she suggested hopefully.

Angry eyes barely glanced her way with an almost imperceptible nod. She ignored his mood and took off in the right direction, trusting Mat to convey to his brothers where they were disappearing to. They had run far and his pulse was still pounding in her ears, but she could hear the way claws on his paws dug deep and tore gauges into the ground. The man inside the beast was ready to snap. She skidded to a halt and turned to face him.

When he broke through the clearing he stopped short of her and stood, shoulders raised, nostrils flared.

"What's the problem?"

Growling, he made to shove past her, but she shoved two hands into his side, pushing with all the force she had. Snarling, he stalked around her in a circle.

Bella challenged, "What the fuck did I do? You think I like that asshole any more than you do? That I want to spend any more time around him than is necessary?"

Mat closed his eyes, pulling himself together, slowing down his breathing until he could stand before the woman upright.

"I'm so fucking tired of that idiot! I don't even know why he keeps showing up at all, or why anyone would allow him near any of the pack!" Mat approached Bella, his voice carrying through the trees as he yelled, "And I am so fucking tired of smelling all those blood suckers all over your clothes and skin after you come back from hunting with them, especially _his scent._ Every day, they invade the world we had. Even when they leave, I can still feel them, and I know I'll have to see them the next day."

"What do you want me to do Mat? Go back to wandering through the reservation on my own, or having you play spectator while I catch my dinner? For once, I've actually been a part of a group where I feel like I belong, like I'm not some freaky alien species!"

"Then just fucking go! Follow them home next time!"

"You don't mean that…" she countered.

Hands fisted at his side, Mat felt his pulse continue to race, adrenaline coursing, "I. Just. Want. You."

Bella felt her body respond to his declaration, an ache growing between her legs and she watched him breathe in the scent of her excitement, "Then take me."

He moved faster than she though possible and had the front of her shirt ripped open, head pushed back and lips on her neck while he shoved the material away from her body. She grabbed handfuls of his hair and tugged, causing his teeth to scrape down the side as hot breath scorched her skin and his fingers had taken to pinching down on both her nipples causing her to whimper in response.

Picking Bella up so she could wrap her legs around his waist, Mat backed her up against the nearest tree before hitting his knees so he could tear away the pants she had been wearing. Lifting one leg so he could continue the assault of his mouth down the inside of her thigh, his left hand plunged two fingers into her wet pussy, letting his thumb grind circles into her clit. Bella arched away from the wood, teeth biting into her lower lip as she let her hips grind and work with his hand. Once he had reached the apex of her thighs, he slid a third finger in and let his tongue replace the work of teasing her swollen flesh until Bella could hear the wet sounds of his fingers working inside her until her orgasm had uncurled from inside her in a wave of pleasure.

Not giving her a chance to recover, Mat lifted her enough to slam her back down onto his waiting cock, thick and hard with every bit of tension he had been feeling. He slammed into her body with force and Bella felt her eyes roll back, his heat swallowing her whole.

"Oh my…fuck Mat…don't stop," she begged and keened, searching for something to hold onto and letting her fingers dig into his biceps.

He felt a slight burn from her actions and in response pulled her legs further apart, trying to gain one more inch of being buried deeper inside her with his next thrust. Bella's deep moan was low and breathy, feeling every ridge of his dick scrape along the inside of her walls.

This was ecstasy in its finest form, senses overwhelmed, mind unable to focus, just nerve endings firing at will.

In his sex-infused fury, Mat felt his body start to shift, that familiar vibration in his skin signaling that he was about to phase. The beast within wanted to cover and possess, to mark and claim. Teeth elongated in response and with a roar that could be heard for several miles, Mat had clamped his teeth down into Bella's shoulder, wolf fangs piercing vampiric flesh. Stuck in a place of being neither fully human or fully wolf, he deepened his hold as Bella fell apart around him, her body milking him in response to the bite.

Shattered into a million pieces, Bella screamed as she clung to the peak of her orgasm, as it continued to pound through her body, pleasure almost painful as Mat spilled into her. Letting go, she slumped against him as his muscles stilled, his jaw unclenched and his arms fought to hold onto the female clinging to him while his breathe continued to come in heavy pants.

Sliding to the ground, with Bella settling in his lap, Mat brushed her hair away from her neck so he could inspect the damage. The movement seemed to pull the woman in his arms from her unaware state of mind and she snapped to attention, looking him in the eye.

"Did you just bite me?"

Mat avoided her gaze as he watched her skin start to heal the wound he had inflicted, "I don't know what the hell happened. There was just so much anger and I felt the need to mark you, to let those other fuckers know you're mine, and I got stuck between being me and phasing out. It's never happened before."

Bella let her fingers rub along the line of her shoulder, noting that the wound had healed, but he had somehow managed to leave a scar, "You're not venomous, but I can still feel where you bit me. Weird." 

Letting his forehead touch hers, he said quietly, "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. It was never my intention to hurt you."

Bella's laughter flowed out across the sky, "Hurt me? That was cataclysmic, I mean I've never felt so overtaken….wow….let's do that again."

Mat looked at her to see if she was serious before looking back at the place on her shoulder and finding that he felt rather content that she was now wearing his print on her skin.

"Really?" 

If she had a pulse, it would have spiked as her brain ran through all the ways she could play with him like this, the scent of her arousal filling the air around them once more.

"Oh, hell yeah, we're going to have to find reasons to make you lose control over and over. This could be fun," she responded, her voice laced with mischief.


	12. Chapter 12: Loss of Blood

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight and I make zero off this gig**

**Warning: Today's chapter is rated M for the three S's: Swearing, Severing of body parts, and subjecting undead creatures to torment. Reader Beware.**

_*** Chapter 12 – Loss of Blood ***_

Paws padded the soft earth in tandem as three wolves swept along the perimeter of the reservation in the dead of night. The landscape surrounding the wolves was a palette of grey-greens that deepened into pockets of black. Sticks cracked and broke under the assault of the large beasts' progress along the line of an invisible barrier the warriors were charged with protecting. They didn't feel the cold damp chill that hung in the air, breaths coming out in puffs of vapor illuminated by the moon before disappearing as if they had never existed.

Quil had barely passed into the shadow of a large copse of trees, the blackness cloaking him, when he came to halt and inhaled a deeper measure of the air around him, growling when he detected the scent of foreign vampires. Teeth bared, he snarled into the silent night, searching left and right as Leah and Embry flanked both his sides, aware of the enemy that was in their midst.

Red curls parted a curtain of shadow, as Victoria came into view, waiving her fingers in greeting, "Hello, puppies! We've been waiting ever so long for you to make an appearance this evening. Is this it then? Just three of you?"

Quil tilted his head back before allowing the alarm pounding in his head to echo through the night, bouncing off of trees and rocks in a howl of warning, summoning his brothers and to join the inevitable fight.

"Always with the howling, gods, I hate wolves," complained a male voice that had come forth to stand beside Victoria, hair black as crimson, eyes red as the blood he reveled in spilling, "Best to take these three out before the rest of the litter come to their aid."

Lips parted in an evil twist, revealing teeth slick with venom that shone in the moonlight.

The wolves vibrated with the desire to leap forward, but sharpened their focus on all they had learned from Jasper, allowing the vamps to make the first move, to see what the plan of attack was. Victoria merely stood there with a placid smile on her face, not bothering to shift an inch as six red-eyed demons leapt out of the air behind her, crossing the distance between the groups as fur crashed with immortal stone.

Rain couldn't resist the chance to destroy, so he had joined in the fray, twisting away from jaws of steel that threatened to close on his limbs. As the wolf's fur brushed across his back, he completed his full circle and leapt onto the creatures back, century old claws locking onto the female's muzzle and pulling her head back to twist and snap the neck of the animal.

The rest of the pack along with Bella had just arrived on the scene when Leah's form hit the forest floor, the life no longer present in her eyes as one flicker of light in the pack mind was extinguished. The wolves shuddered with the loss, a few taking to releasing mournful howls into the chilled air, while other's burned fierce with rage set aflame.

Jasper and the rest of the Cullens had arrived a moment to late to offer help to the slain female, and Jasper warned the rest, "Careful of the wolves. Their grief will make them blind to the difference between friend and foe, so they may even attempt an attack on us."

Jumping into the fray, golden eyes mixed with crimson, the human drinkers not questioning a foe that was one of their own, having been warned beforehand that enemy number one was the Cullen family and the rest were free for destruction.

Bella found that when she wasn't presented with a linear form of opponents, when they were mixed in with wolves and the Cullens, she couldn't simply hold back the others. It would take focus and separation from what was going on to mold her shield around all the forms she needed to stop, and it just wasn't possible in the current situation. So, she tried to send out direct hits that pinned the enemy to the ground where a wolf would go in for the kill, rending head from shoulders, or one of the Cullens would take them down.

Edward had seen the ghost of the past standing at the perimeter and zeroed in on Victoria, Alice and Carlisle following in his wake.

"This is fabulous. No need for me to get messy with the others, when the one I am seeking comes to me," Victoria sneered.

Edward could read her thoughts, how she had followed James to Phoenix and found the burnt shell of a building that contained a familiar video camera she knew James used to memorialize his kills. The memory card still salvageable, she had watched the last moments of his life play and knew exactly who she should blame for the loss of her mate.

He moved towards her, seeing how she planned to try and avoid his hold, and when he changed directions to match her decision, her brain seemed to flicker, like a skip on a CD and she shifted again, avoiding capture. He watched as Alice tried to close in but Victoria slid past her as well. It was a dance of near misses wherein Victoria delighted in their frustration at not being able to get their hands on the woman.

"Bella!" Edward called across the clearing and she quickly came to his aid as he commanded, "Lock her down."

The woman turned to run away from the battle, but not quick enough to escape Bella's hold. Edward approached her, staring into defeated eyes full of resentment.

"This isn't the end."

Edward wrapped her hair around his fist, "Oh, I think it is."

"She'll send more. She'll turn the whole world if she has to," Victoria declared.

Edward began a search through her thoughts, beginning to see the truth to her words when Victoria caught on to what he was doing and started running the end of James' life over and over in her head, closing him out. She stopped struggling and closed her eyes as Edward delivered the killing blow.

Jasper had taken to Jacob's side as the two worked together, Jacob fueled by losing one of his own and Jasper thrilled to exercise his combat skills without having to hold back or stop before tearing his enemy apart. This continued until Rain gained his attention, the male vampire playing with the four wolves that were circling him, his mocking laughter filling the air every time he avoided their attempts to take him down. Dancing away from Seth, Jasper saw a flash of metal on the man and took off running towards the group.

"Don't kill him!" Jasper yelled out, leaping over the wolves and facing Rain head on,

"Who are you?"

With one eyebrow arched in disbelief he countered, "Really? You wish to exchange names right now?"

"I can see the cuff on your ear, I know you're one of Maria's, but I don't recognize you," Jasper stated.

"Ah yes, you must Jasper Whitlock, the great warrior who left behind bloody battlefields for the safe life of hunting rabbits and squirrels," Rain taunted.

"And you are?"

"Here to end you," Rain lunged for Jasper, but the other man hit him with a wave of lethargy, slowing his movements.

"Ah, ah, ah, no fair using your special powers like that," Rain held up a wagging finger, "Come now, major, certainly you can take me down without resorting to unfair advantages."

"I'm not trying to take you down," Jasper confessed as a wolf snapped from behind at Rain's back, "Seth, I know you're struggling right now, but we need him alive." 

Snarls over this turn of events erupted in the circle.

"Thinking of taking me in? Convince me to talk? Surely you must know that I'm stronger than that." 

"Ah, well that's a challenge I'm willing to take," Jasper sent a stronger wave of emotion, mixing it with calm and peace towards the man as he started to sink onto his knees, diffusing his will to fight back.

Emmett had approached the group and Jasper turned towards him, "Can you carry him back to the house?"

Nodding in response, Jasper surveyed the surrounding and saw that Carlisle and Rosalie had started a fire and were burning the other bodies. Wolves were limping and injured, but the only one they had lost was Leah.

Bella crossed over to where Emmett was standing with Rain in his arms. She looked askance at Jasper.

"He killed Leah! Why is he not destroyed with the others?" Bella accused as she stalked towards the lone survivor of the attack, intent on making it a complete annihilation.

"He's one of Maria's, and with that copper ring pierced through his ear, he's one of her stronger fighters. He's been marked as one of her elite," Jasper explained, "I need to take him back for questioning." 

Alice spoke up, "The nomad that attacked Bella in Phoenix was here. She was seeking revenge against our family for destroying her mate, the vampire that was hunting Bella. Edward was able to see that she had wandered into Maria's territory and convinced Maria to join her plan for vengeance. However, she mentioned that Maria would send more? Why would she do that if she was only helping Victoria out? What happened to bring about that change?"

Jasper looked for his other sibling, not seeing him in the circle of individuals surrounding him and their captive and not finding him with Carlisle at the fire, "Where's Edward?"

Alice searched the group before grabbing her temples, "He's confused. I can see he's moving away from us, but he hasn't made any decision yet about where he's going."

Jasper turned to stare at the vampire still laying prone in Emmett's grasp, "Looks like we're doing this the old fashioned way then. Bella, can you put your emotions to the side long enough to help me question him?"

"Do I get to kill him when you're finished?"

Seeing her thirst for the man's suffering, Jasper knew he could use it to their advantage, "I'm agreeable to that."

"Lead the way."

Mat stepped in front of her, blocking her path, "Mat, move." 

He leaned forward and looked her in the eye.

"Do you want me to take out Leah's killer or not? I'll come to you and the rest of the pack as soon as I'm finished," she sighed, "Please let me do this."

He stared for a few moments longer, nervous about the vengeance that was etched into her features, twisting her into something less than human. Finally, he stepped back and away from her. She didn't say anything else but followed the Cullens back to their property.

Walking in the back of the house, Jasper began issuing orders, "Emmett, take him downstairs and place him in the room. Take Rose with you. I think he'll remain manageable, but if he starts to break out of the stupor I've put him, we'll hear and come to your aid."

Emmett nodded and turned to go, Rosalie following behind him.

"Carlisle, do we still have any blood stored away?"

Carlisle looked like he didn't want to answer, but replied, "Yes."

"Good. Go ahead and fetch several pints for both Bella and I."

Bella's head whipped over to where Jasper was pulling items out of a closet, "What do we need blood for? Are we going to feed him? That seems a rather humane gesture he doesn't deserve."

"It's for us."

"What the hell, Jasper? I never agreed to that."

Crossing the room, a heavy duty power tool in his hand, Jasper stared her down, "Right now, he's more powerful than both of us. It took everything I had to knock him down, and I have a feeling this isn't going to be easy. I'm going to need you at the top of your game, and that means you will drink what is needed to do that."

Bella weighed his words in her head, debating as to whether this was a good idea and still feeling the pulse of rage over the loss of Leah beating through her body.

"Or maybe you'd like to wait and see what comes next?"

That was the breaking point in her resolve - the possibility that next time things would go worse and she would lose more of her family.

"Fine."

Carlisle returned to the room, a stack of plastic pouches in each hand, bulging with the ruby red contents they held. Esme and Alice watched the pair warily as they took the items from Carlisle's grasp.

"Carlisle, Edward has taken off, Alice has no idea when he'll be back and I have a feeling this could be worse than we imagine. We have no choice."

"I know."

Pushing past the man, Jasper descended into the basement where Emmett and Rosalie were standing guard outside a heavy metal door.

"Has he tried anything?"

Emmett answered, "No, but I can hear him scraping around in there. No point in tying him into a chair when he can break the bonds, right?"

"We'll have him immobile in no time."

With each sentence, Bella heard Jasper's voice grow colder, the friend she knew turning into some militant executioner. Emmett glanced at the power tool in Jasper's grip and the blood bags before seeing that Bella possessed a few as well.

He stared at the girl questioningly, "You sure about this?"

"I'm trying not to think at the moment."

Rosalie started to open her mouth, but Jasper shut her down, "Just go, Rose. We've got this."

His authoritative tone said the matter wasn't up for discussion and she left quietly, following Emmett back up stairs. Not bothering to look at Bella, Jasper bit into one of the bags draining the contents quickly. Bella stared at the item in her hand, not needing to breathe and yet slowly inhaling and exhaling before she followed his lead.

The flavor was more than she expected, the first taste of what she was made for, the consumption of liquid life sliding over her tongue and down her throat. She finished the first one in an instant, taking down the others with eyes closed, savoring the experience.

She looked over to Jasper, noticing that little threads of crimson had started to flow into his irises and wondered if he saw the same in hers.

"When I open this door, I want you to contain him immediately. Can you do that?"

She nodded mutely in response, her nerves firing and crackling at the energy flowing through her system.

"He won't just offer up answers, so we'll have to convince him to share what he knows," Jasper explained bluntly, "You can't back down. There's no mercy here, Bella, no matter how much he begs for it. Can you do this?"

"Just open the fucking door, Jasper, and let's get this over with."

Giving her one look, Jasper threw open the door as the man inside made a lunge for the open exit. Bella slammed him against the steel wall inside the room, his skull cracking from the impact and then immediately starting to heal again.

The two vampires entered the room and Jasper pulled the door behind him, closing them in. He busied himself with plugging in the tool he had carried down with him while Bella glared daggers at the man she had pinned down. Her power throbbing, she pushed into him, pressing his body flat with the weight of her mind, hearing his ribs crack under the pressure. Rain merely gritted his teeth and endured the matter in stony silence.

"Release him enough that I can put him back in the chair and then hold him down again." 

Following Jasper's orders, Bella did as she was told and the man was bound by her invisible cords to the piece of furniture.

Rain looked from one face to the other, noticing the difference immediately, "Someone's had a little treat. Bring any for me? I'm a little worn after all that fighting."

"Sorry, we didn't save any for sharing. Terribly rude, I know," Jasper countered dryly.

"Should we get to the you questioning and me not answering part then?"

Jasper picked up the tool from the small table in the corner he had placed it on, stretching the extension cord over to stand in front of his prisoner, "Do you know what this is?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize this was a shop class quiz."

Ignoring the sarcasm, Jasper continued, "It's called a hot knife, not a very intimidating name I know, but its a little tool they use to cut through plastics and such, and I've made some minor adjustments and tested it enough to know it will burn its way through your skin. So, to answer your question, we are going to get to the 'me questioning part.' Only, if you insist on not answering, I'm going to insist on carving a piece of you off."

Training had hardened Rain enough that he didn't flinch or show worry. The air in the room settled and all that could be heard was the electric hum of the knife in Jasper's hand.

"So, Victoria mentioned Maria will be sending more of her people this way,"

"She always did talk too much, never really cared that much for the woman," he admitted.

Jasper trailed the blade of the knife down the side of the vampire's face, let it carve a curved line from temple down to the tip of his chin. The creature hissed in return as Bella could smell the distinct odor of burning undead flesh.

"Fuck!" Shaking out his mane of shoulder length inky black hair, "you know all you need to know, don't you?!" He snarked in response, still holding tight to the last vestiges of his nonchalant veneer, "I'm not seeing the reason why you feel the need to question me."

"Why?" 

Playing dumb, Rain questioned, "Why what?"

With speed and precision, Jasper severed the man's right hand from his wrist. The room filled with a guttural scream, as he tossed the detached body part in Bella's direction and she caught it smoothly, but refused to hold it by anything other than tips of the fingers as it continued to twitch.

"Put it in that holding container over there," Jasper commanded in her direction, staring into Rain's eyes with great concentration, "See, there's this little extra treat I like to add in to this type of persuasion. A little mixture of panic and agony – helps intensify the pain, while your body goes in overdrive trying to pump venom into an organ it can't fix."

Rain's eyes twitched left to right, his mind searching for a hold, as anxiety took his brain captive. Bella could see the slick, crystallized strands of muscle and sinew that were exposed at the man's wrist as steady drips of viscous fluid weeped from the wound and fell to the floor, making a puddle.

Taking a moment to release the hold on his victim, Jasper waited for the man's eyesight to clear before he asked, "Why has Maria made us her target?"

Grinding his teeth, Rain bit out, "Oh handsome, it isn't about you, now is it?"

He chanced a glance in Bella's direction and Jasper followed the man's line of sight.

"Why does she want Bella?" 

Trying for a little sarcasm and swagger, he tossed out, "You know Maria, she's not picky about her bed mates. Men, women, makes no difference to her. Maybe she's gotten lonely?" Black eyes slithered over Bella's body from head to toe, "And, I must admit, you are quite fuckable."

The blade made contact with the man's abdomen, pushing through clothing and into what should be impenetrable flesh, but sliding in fluidly, Jasper cutting an arc across the man's midsection, while he amped up the amount of agony mixed this time with a healthy dose of despair. Rain howled and screamed in response. Withdrawing the instrument, the blade sizzled as the venom coating cooked, filling the room with another wave of burning petroleum smell.

Bella had decided not to watch the carnage unfolding, but to focus on the man that was the source of all the action.

Was he a man or a monster?

She could see how Jasper would have been extremely useful to Maria, he was without emotional response to the person he was torturing, solely focused on obtaining the answers he needed. Maybe he was more like a machine - a detached, single-minded soldier of destruction. Gone was the congenial smile and country drawl, replaced by something that she hoped they could put back in the box now that it had been unleashed.

This time Jasper jolted the man's eyes open with a push of excitement and anticipation, "Should I ask you the question again?"

"She wants Bella destroyed," Rain had been stripped of all resistance, having grasped the reality that Jasper would carve him apart piece by piece without hesitating and the only way to avoid further pain was to give him what he desired, "The first group of scouts to check on the Cullens had a lone survivor who came back and relayed what she had seen of Bella's power. Yes, it had originally started as a way to dig a knife into your side by hurting your new coven and granting Victoria a favor that she would be indebted to Maria for, Maria will never allow someone who could tip the power scale in her favor to live. Now that I've failed at completing the mission, she'll know the situation is worse than she originally thought and will probably launch a full scale assault."

"I don't want any power," Bella interrupted, as both men turned to look at her, "I just want to be left alone. I'm no threat to Maria."

Rain started to laugh lowly, "Naivety, how precious. Oh, you're a threat to us all. Destruction without contact, a force that I would assume only grows with human blood. Those eyes and that face so intoxicating and innocent, the perfect seduction that no one would suspect. Make the right moves, and the world could lay at your feet. Think about it – this planet is grossly overpopulated. As your subjects, we would attack until blood ran in overflowing rivers. You could bathe in it and we would lick every inch of your naked flesh clean, completely loyal to one who held it all in the confines of her mind. You need only act."

Bella let tendrils of her power wrap delicately around Rain's throat until she squeezed them tightly, crushing his voice box, successfully cutting of his words, lest he try and tempt her any further.

"Let him go, Bella," Jasper instructed.

Turning slightly from the two, she stared at the wall, and released him, hearing the sounds of his body scramble, cells scratching to piece themselves back together.

"How soon will she send another wave of fighters? Do you know any of her plans?"

Scoffing, the prisoner scratched out a response, "Come now, Major, you didn't expect her to reveal all her cards so early in the war, did you? This isn't over, that's all I can tell you."

"Then you're are of no use to me," Jasper sentenced before standing up and twisting the man's neck until flesh stretched taught, splintered and tore, separating head from body. Standing next to the chair, dangling Rain's head by a handful of ebony hair, he addressed Bella, "I assume you want to return to the reservation, let them know what's going on."

Darkened eyes met his as she uncoiled the tensely held shield from the corpse, "Yes, of course."

Jasper took in her hollow expression, pleased that they were able to get what they had, but wondering if Bella could handle having taken part in the questioning, "You need to feed." 

Startled and slightly panicked, she spit out, "What?"

"Go hunt, Bella, before you return to them. Take down something and replenish your strength, grab hold of who you were before you entered this room." 

Nodding without saying anything else, Bella ran from the house and into the shadows.

**A/N: Sssooooo… let's have a little share time. That's the first ever fight/attack/violence scene I've ever written. This thing has taken me days to complete, having to step away and come back to edit and add on. I hope it worked. Sometimes I feel my writing is bland when it comes to action and leaves readers bored in a simplistic plot line. I decided to step out on a limb and shake things up a bit. I must confess, I didn't realize just how much thought to lining up the pieces just the way I wanted them would be. Xoxo-Ginja**


	13. Chapter 13: Aftermath

**A/N: So, I went on vacation and enjoyed a little break from writing, but then I came back ready to go, and work said, "nuh-uh, here's 5 tons of paperwork for you to deal with." I've been going stir crazy not being able to dedicate time and attention to TA, but I have finally had the chance to update. Thanks for your patience!**

**As always, this story is rated M for violence, language and sexual content. **

_*** Chapter 13: Aftermath ***_

Bella fed quickly, taking the time to wash off in the river before making her way to the reservation. Not surprisingly, she found them gathered at Sam's house, the early morning light spilling through the windows onto the group sitting at the overly large dining table. Emily had tried setting out a few items of food, but for once, the men didn't bother touching it.

The weight of losing Leah was hanging in the air and pressing down on everyone gathered, so much so that words spoken were slightly muted and eyes barely met across the wood grain surface of the table.

For a moment, Bella felt like an intruder on this little family of hers, that in being the very thing that had caused such pain, she might carry some of the guilt and responsibility for Leah's death. Mat had felt her arrival to the gathering and watched as feelings warred across her features, waiting for her to look his direction before extending a hand to pull her back to them, to him.

The others barely nodded in her direction when she came in the room, still sitting stoically in their chairs and saying little to nothing. When she reached his side, Mat tipped Bella's chin up and moved in to give a gentle kiss of comfort before noticing the tell-tale crimson flecks that had invaded her irises. His nostrils flared and Bella froze, eyes locked as hers silently pleaded for him to understand that she couldn't explain everything right this moment. Trusting her to tell him everything later, he moved his lips to her forehead and placed a feathered kiss at her temple before pulling her into his side. Bella tried to relax, but remained taught with tension over a discussion that she refused to have in front of the others.

Jake broke the silence first, "What are we looking at here, Bells?"

She hated the understanding that settled in his eyes before she had verbalized an answer. He could read her face like a book, she could hide nothing from Jacob Black, "There will be more. Maria has decided I'm a threat, and she wants me destroyed. When she realizes her plan has failed, she'll fight back harder."

The rest of the pack looked at their leader, who was gritting his teeth in frustration over her news. Per typical werewolf style, some wanted another chance to get revenge, payment for the loss of life they had experienced. The more mature members only saw more fighting, more danger to their tribe, more lives that could be lost.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, "for bringing this on you, on the tribe."

Getting up and coming to stand in front of her, Jacob waited until her eyes met his. If he took any notice of a change in Bella, he pushed past it without reaction.

"You're always telling me to let go of my guilt when it comes to what happened to you that day in the meadow, but I'm asking you to do the same now. You're part of us, and we would fight to protect you just as much as we would fight to protect any other member of our family."

Bella nodded slightly, looking around the room, focusing in on Seth and only finding acceptance on his face, not hatred or blame.

"Now, how much time do they think we'll have till they return?"

"I didn't get a chance to talk to Jasper about that, I just needed to get away from there. I can call him if you'd like."

"I think it can wait for now, don't you, Jake?" Emily interrupted the discussion, "We need to arrange a proper goodbye for our friend, our sister."

"She's right," Sam agreed with his wife, "There will be time for fighting again, but enough blood has been spilled for today."

Reminded once more of the girl they had all loved, the group turned their attention towards saying a final farewell.

They had barely broken through the trees into a small clearing, when Mat turned on her and started pacing back and forth through the grass, his eyes never leaving her face until he had taken hold of himself and was able to phase. A gentle rain fell from the sky, causing Bella's paleness and Mat's deep bronze to stand out in stark contrast to the newly livened green that surrounded them.

"Why?"

One simple direct question was all he could manage.

"I had to, I needed the strength to deal with questioning Maria's guy. I had to be strong enough to have the upper hand against him."

She watched his now human form take a page from animal behavior as he once again stalked the ground…left to right….right to left, every muscle in his frame flexing and relaxing as he paced, a beautiful picture of man in his finest form. Finally stopping, he turned to face her once again.

"Did you enjoy that? Human blood?" He examined her face for the truth of the answer before she could speak a word.

"Honestly? It was different, but yes, I suppose you could say I did. It was a rush, it felt amazing, like I could feel it rushing into every cell in my body," her hands were animated in her explanation, and she watched him try to conceal the way his body wanted to cringe at her transparent confession, "But what did you expect? This is what I'm made to do. Feeding off of human beings is what is expected of me, and I deny that every day. _Do you deny your body_ the nutrition it needs? Has anyone asked you to abandon those massive mountains of food you and the pack consume in exchange for artificial vitamin-packed protein shakes? You can't fault me for feeling like the world had finally clicked into focus, and everything was in its place."

Bella stood with shoulders back, refusing to cower in shame over her actions. Mat crossed his arms and the pair formed a stand off, eyes locked as he processed her words.

It was an open and shut case, an easy verdict to reach, finding her guilty of drinking the blood of a human, right?

But Bella had possessed sound reasoning. No one had asked any of the wolves to sacrifice as she had from the moment she woke up as an immortal creature. It wasn't as if she had gone on a blood-thirsty killing spree, taking out entire households, the essence of the inhabitants dripping off her chin as she searched for her next target.

She still looked like his Bella, though he could detect a slight difference in her scent. And staring into the stubborn face of the woman who he knew he'd get no apology from, Mat knew without a doubt, this was still the Bella who owned every part of him.

Mat ran a hand through shaggy hair that was slightly wet from the rain as he, once again, tried to reconcile what had been engrained in him from his first days as a wolf and what he knew to be reality.

Good and evil, life or death, right or wrong, nothing was clear cut anymore. Honestly, he was fucking tired of trying to figure out where the line was. He just wanted _her._ Screw the rest.

"Fine."

"Fine? What the hell does that mean?" Bella sought clarification.

"It means you're right. I have no idea what it's like to live as you do, to deny the hunger inside you every day, to surround yourself with humans and care for them, knowing that part of you desires to take, even just the smallest amount in order to quench the thirst," Mat conceded, "And, even though I can still see the tiniest flecks of red in the color of your eyes, I would spend every day I have left on this planet waking up searching for them, even if they turn the darkest crimson because _I_ am in love with you."

Frozen in shock at his unexpected revelation, Bella stood there, lips parted as any words she had planned to argue further with fell away.

"I, I…love…I love you too," She managed to stutter in response.

Mat cocked his head to the side and smirked, "Aren't vampires usually smoother with their words? Is it possible that I have actually taken the most powerful creature your kind has produced by surprise?"

Bella closed the distance between them and placed her cool palms on the sides of his face, "I don't care what title or description they wish to assign me as long as I will still be yours and you will be mine. That is all that matters."

Mat shook his head in agreeance before he met her lips with his, heated satin gliding over cool silk, letting his tongue dip in between her lips until each unique flavor blended together into his favorite taste.

She watched Mat sleep, thinking over his words, remembering every sensation of their bodies that had molded together with aching slowness as he had made love to her, how he had covered every inch of her body with his, vibrated to the point of being able to pierce her flesh again, letting the earthly smell of his lust invade her senses as she quickened around him while he came into her again and again as the sun traced a path across the sky, marking her as his once more. It was deliciously satisfying to let go and let him take what he needed from her, to relax in his hard embrace and trust that he desired to satisfy her, she only need to submit to however his body led him to do that.

The moon hung high, illuminating the edges of a cloud filled sky while she kept silent watch over him until she heard the soft sound of feet approaching the cabin at a lightening quick pace. Bella instantly placed a shield around the cabin, barring entrance while she made her way to the door to find out who had decided to pay them a visit.

Jasper was standing at the edge of her barrier, holding a bottle in each hand in a gesture of peace offering. Bella arched an eyebrow in question.

"Felt you might need a drink after all that's gone down. I always liked a good pint of tequila after I'd washed the blood from my hands."

Nodding in agreement she met him where he was and tilted her head away from the cabin, leading him into the forest till they found some dead trees they could sit on. She kept her hearing attuned to the sound of Mat's heart, feeling an invisible string tying the two of them together.

"I see and smell that someone has reclaimed his territory," Jasper observed while he handed her a full pint of Jose' before opening his own and taking a swig.

"I don't even think about it anymore. I suppose I do smell like him, don't I?"

Jasper nodded, "Your scent is still there, but he's done a good job of mixing it with his. It's an odd mixture because I recognize my own kind, and at the same time, there's that hint of something that wants to put me on edge. But even more curious is how he managed to pierce your skin and leave his mark behind?"

Bella rubbed the bite mark exposed by her low-necked tee, the evidence that was imprinted on her skin permanently, the same place Mat had returned to earlier in the day.

"I don't know how he does it. It just sort of happened. It's as if he gets stuck somewhere in phasing, part wolf and yet still human. It's his canine teeth that make it through the barrier." 

"Like a mating mark."

"Mating mark?"

"Animal nature, that male need to claim, to let others know that this particular female is his mate. Lord knows, vampire are animalistic enough that we do it, I would assume that werewolves would do it, but don't usually have mates that can handle the physical assault that a bite from them would inflict. But, Mat has you, so his inner primal beast is taking the chance to let others know that you belong to him."

"No more so than he belongs to me," she stated stubbornly.

"Yeah, I kind of picked up on that. You're as tied to each other as Alice and I or Emmett and Rosalie, but mates from different species of supernatural creature? That's a new one. Someday when this is all over, you can tell me how you two managed to collide together given the natural instinct to fight each other."

Bella smiled as memories of their earlier days came to the forefront of her mind, "Yeah, we weren't always so cozy with each other."

Jasper soaked in the warm wash of love and light and happiness that she radiated with her response, and was able to find the first beginnings of a smile since leaving the interrogation room.

"So, how is the pack doing?"

"They're devastated. Leah was a complete pain in the ass when she first transformed, bitter and angry about getting tied for eternity with the pack, refusing to even consider the possibility that she could one day be mated to one of them. But in the end, she was fiercely loyal and protective of all of us. As much as she would start shit with one of them, she'd take down anyone that tried to mess with one of the boys, especially the younger ones, or any of their imprints. She was my one female best friend, the one girl I could go to who understand what it was like to not be an ordinary human and we bonded over being forced into the other worldly. After that, we just stuck together. I loved her," Bella explained.

"So, will they do any sort of service soon?"

"Yeah, we need to send her off to the spirit world to meet her ancestors as soon as possible, so the reservation will observe the rights tomorrow."

Jasper and Bella sat companionably side by side, making their way half way through the bottle, a nice buzz settling into their brains. Bella thought about how things would go the following afternoon, well actually today, as it was past midnight.

"God, Jasper, the last thing I need is a pack of drunk wolves trying to take on a lethal unit of vampires that have been ordered to kill anything on four legs," Bella rubbed her temples, her head aching from the thought of what a disaster that would be, " How soon will there be another attack? Is there anything we can do?"

Jasper thoughtfully rubbed his chin before giving her a cautious side glance.

"What? What is it? Why are you looking like that?"

"Well, the truth is, Bella, I don't think we'll be able to take on Maria's fighters as we are right now. I hadn't intended to talk to you about this right now, but seeing as you mentioned Leah's funeral and given the circumstances surrounding that…" he waited a moment before suggesting, "I think we need to call in reinforcements."

"Reinforcements…"she thought over his words, "You mean other vampires? Like the Denalis up in Alaska? That shouldn't be so bad, I mean they follow the same diet we do."

"Certainly Tanya and the others will be helpful, and I have already sent for them, but I was looking towards my brother Peter and his mate, Charlotte, possibly a couple of other nomads that we've had the chance to fight alongside over the years."

"Ah….and they aren't so strict when it comes to their food preferences?"

"Exactly, but Bella, they're the best fighters I know, and I'm certain we are going to need them if we expect to come out of this thing alive. Not to mention, we could cover the entire perimeter the next couple of days, give your boys a chance to grieve."

Bella winced at the term 'your boys.' Before there had always been the need to include that one girl, but not now, no, Leah had left her alone with the 'boys.' She took several long pulls off the bottle of tequila in her hand, bracing herself for the inevitable decision.

"Call them in."

"You're sure?"

"Fuck, Jasper, I don't have a choice. Jacob's going to lose his shit over this, but he'll have to get over it. Anyhow, even with just vegetarian vampires running the treaty line, I figure we'll have some new wolves triggering any day now, and he'll be busy getting them acclimated to the pack. If he questions me, I'll play dirty and tell him I can't lose another member of my family, that after Charlie and Leah, I need to keep him, Cali and the twins safe. His protective instinct will kick in and he'll cave."

Jasper studied her face, felt the emotions she had going on over doing what needed to be done, but feeling like she was being manipulative to get what she wanted. Between the questioning of their prisoner earlier and the evening's conversation, he had to give her credit for having a mind that was political and somewhat militant. She wasn't afraid to make the hard choices when they were necessary, even if she didn't "enjoy" it, and she didn't back down from getting her hands messy when the situation demanded. He respected her for it, and would stand proudly beside her in battle when the time came.

Tipping his bottle towards her he toasted, "To the end justifying the means."

She looked at him, felt the respect he was sending her way and nodded before clinking her bottle against his, "If we're going to hell, might as well do it thoroughly."

She drained the bottle of the remaining contents, letting the alcohol sand down the rough edges inside her that had arisen from their conversation when she thought of how the wolves would take the news. Leaving Jasper to make the calls he needed for back up, she returned to the cabin.

Still lost in slumber, Bella examined every inch of exposed flesh on Mat's body – the muscles in his shoulders, dark nipples that had pebbled in the cool night air, the line that lead down the center of his abdomen, that little dent in the muscles above hip bones, the darkened patch of hair that dipped below the cotton covering him.

Tequila buzzed through her body, awakening each and every one of her senses, and Bella's pupils dilated while she breathed in his scent mixing with her own state of arousal.

Crossing the room without a sound, she pulled the sheet away, exposing his manhood to her gaze, feeling her tongue slide along her lower lip in a predatory way. He shifted slightly in his sleep and Bella barely made the mattress dip when she sat beside him, letting one finger trace down the length of sex, hearing the way his body responded to her touch, heart rate picking up, blood starting to rush faster.

Vampire eyes watched with fascination as she could see how he hardened to her touch and she allowed her hand to wrap around silken steel, rubbing up and down the length. Eyelids fluttered, appearing to Bella that Mat's body couldn't quite figure out if it needed to be awake or continue to enjoy what must be the sweetest of dreams. A shiny pearl of precum formed at the tip of his now engorged head and she took the time to lick him clean again, pushing against the tiny slit in his skin with her tongue. A low growl tumbled from his lips as hips shifted and she took the encouraging movement as permission to take him into her mouth, one hand still working at the base of the shaft.

Sliding, swirling over his skin, in and out, she pumped him with her mouth. Blood continued to speed through his veins and she could feel the pulse of it beneath her tongue, could smell the metallic tang of iron under his skin, felt the desire to take not only his seed, but his life's essence as well. She suckled harder on his flesh, sending out a call to his heart to continue sending what she most desired to where she waited, her instinct trying to push her closer to the edge of baring her teeth.

Growls grew louder in her ear as his body was delirious from the attention she was giving it, pleasure pulling Mat from sleep to stare down to where his cock was sliding in between her lips again and again. He tried to pull her up to him, but she held him in her mental cage, unable to go anywhere until she was finished getting what she wanted. Feeling her tongue swirl around the head once more while her hand furiously worked his shaft and the other cupped his balls, his release poured onto her tongue and she lapped at his swollen flesh to the point that he felt he would pass out from pleasure that was crossing towards being painful.

In the instant her eyes finally met his, their black depths letting him know that she was slipping towards the edge, he shouted her name and she released him from her hold. It took seconds to have her pinned beneath him, arms pulled above her head, wrists locked in his grasp.

"What the fuck was that?!" 

Her wicked laughter twirled through the air, entertained, "I do believe that is called a blow job, or giving head, sucking your cock, or going down on a person, you pick which term suits your fancy."

"That is not what I meant, Bella. What is going on in that head of yours? You're like a demon possessed, where are you right now?" He questioned.

Bella closed her eyes, listened to the rapid fire pounding of his heart, felt the heat of his anger, heard his concern.

Opening her eyes again, she whispered, "Pull me back from the edge."

Letting go over her hands, he let his thumbs trace under her eyes, watching their golden circles grow with each sweep. Leaning forward, refusing to break their stare, lips met over kisses that were slow and intentional, beckoning her back to his embrace until he could feel gentle hands trace along his shoulders and lightly running through the hair at the nape of his neck.

They'd fought back the devil lurking within.

This time.


	14. Chapter 14: Combined Forces

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or anything else that Stephenie Meyer has chosen to create. **

_*** Chapter 14: Combined Forces ***_

The steady falling rain created a constant soundtrack the day of Leah's funeral. Seth sat stoically by his mother as she cried softly into the handful of material that was once one of Leah's favorite t-shirts. Cali, Emily and Mia occupied the remaining folding chairs that sat crookedly on the uneven earthen floor. Behind them the wolf pack made a formidable wall of bodies, each male's massive form taking up more space than the average human, making it impossible to see over them. The rest of the mourners gathered in a group on the opposite side of the casket, the amount of people staggering as every member of the tribe felt it necessary to pay respect and honor to the girl who had given her own life in an effort to protect theirs.

Bella had refused to stand towards the front. While she loved Leah and wouldn't have considered not being there, hidden by the wall of bodies, she knew that her position in the pack prevented the remaining tribal members from staring at her. She just couldn't shake the feeling that when this was over, something would have to change, the small world that had shielded her from the outside had been invaded with death and that couldn't be erased.

Foregoing the large family meal after the service, Bella ran up the beach, letting the wind and falling water lash at her face, her body barely registering the sting as she chose to think of the rivets of salt sea spray and rain running down her cheeks as tears that she was no longer capable of crying since adopting this new body. Her lungs and muscles refused to ache, no matter how hard she pushed. There was no way to alleviate this grief that tore a jagged gash into her heart short of turning her hands into weapons of destruction, hell bent on capturing and ripping apart whatever they could latch onto. At this point, she almost prayed for an entire pack of red-eyed demons that she could slowly unleash her wrath on.

Mat's wolf was edgy and restless around her, feeding off the electrified current of tension that existed around Bella now. Sex was hard and rough, pushing their bodies to the limit as both partners were capable of mending scratches and bruises they inflicted in the battle of pleasure pushed towards the edge of something darker.

Reaching the tribal property edge, Bella saw Jasper speaking with a small group of strangers. Beckoning her over with a wave of his hand, she joined them, taking note that this must be the Denali coven as their eyes matched the same shade as her own. In the midst of introducing her to the group, the one named Kate reached out her hand for Bella's. The moment skin touched skin, Bella felt the tiniest pin prick of shock before her shield blocked the intrusion. Snarling slightly at the woman who dared come to her home and launch an unannounced assault, Bella threw her back into the nearest tree, the trunk cracking under the force. Kate attempted to move but found she was bound tightly. Her sisters cried foul play while Jasper placed a soothing hand on Bella's arm, asking quietly that she release the woman. Blinking to clear her head, she turned from the others who were rushing to their fallen sister and strode angrily through the trees.

"Bella, try to remember, they're here to help," Jasper reasoned.

Turning on him and pushing a finger into his chest, she countered, "What exactly is helpful about trying to electrocute or shock me or whatever the hell she was trying to do?"

Crossing his arms, the military major who felt the need to be in command tried not to snap at the emotionally charged vampire who had the balls to face him head on, refusing to see him as a superior. She actually reminded him of Peter who laughed every time Jasper tried to threaten his way to getting the man to follow his orders. It'd be interesting to see how the two got along.

"The Denalis were forewarned of your power, and Kate was testing the waters, so to speak. Dumb ass move on her part, I admit, but Bella, the tales of how you can take down your enemy almost effortlessly are intriguing and others are curious to know if what they've heard is true."

"It wasn't enough to save Leah, was it?"

Jasper felt the raw honest sorrow in her words, her pain creating a picture of warring colors on the canvas he could detect with his abilities. Walking her swiftly away from the group, waiting until he could no longer hear the others, he faced her.

"Bella, shield us so no one can hear or sense our presence."

Looking at him questioningly, she projected a barrier around them both and with a nod from her, Jasper pulled her towards him. Resisting his hold and finally moving forward grudgingly, he enclosed her in a hug, pushing her feelings back on her till she crumpled in his grasp, wracking sobs that threatened to break her into a million pieces escaping her lips. He let the emotions bleed out till she started to become numb, and then took over by trying to fill her back up with waves of peace and comfort.

When he finally felt her stabilize, he loosened his grasp. Taking a step back, Bella wiped at her face in a very human gesture, but there were no tears or ruined mascara to bother with.

"You look perfect, as always. One of the upsides of our kind," he assured.

"Thank you."

"Hey, I have to be useful for something, right? And, I know what it's like to try and remain strong in everyone else's eyes, like nothing bothers you. The problem is, after awhile of trying to shut out your pain, you just become a cold, heartless creature capable of doing unspeakable things. It takes a lot of effort to pull yourself from that edge. I'm just doing what I can to prevent that from happening."

Punching him playfully in the arm, Bella complimented, "You're good people, Jasper."

He smiled crookedly and she could see his magnetic charm shine, even when he wasn't trying, "You think?"

"Who knew you were so emotionally in touch with yourself? That you're really a big, old softie? Reminds me a little of Emmett…"

She barely got the words past her lips when he'd grabbed her and flipped her over his head, pinning her to the ground, growl ripping through the air. For a second, no sound could be heard but his aggressive snarls as the dirt and debris around them settled once more. Then Bella started to laugh, her giggles picking up speed so much so that she couldn't stop. She didn't even bother to fight back, but just relaxed under his 'angry' face, her amusement over his actions changing the colors around them, a warm mixture of yellows and oranges.

_Fuck, _Jasper thought, _just like Peter._

Taking the time to run at as leisurely a pace as she could manage along the length of the border, Bella slowed when she heard a singular wolf heading her direction. Mat broke through the trees and joined her side.

Stopping and waiting for him to phase, Mat was surprised to find that the change was easier, that the storm that had been swirling around the two of them had shifted.

Observing her from head to toe, he asked, "You okay?"

A gentle smile gracing her face, "I'm more than okay, you?"

Closing the distance between their bodies, Mat took her face in his hands, staring into eyes that were a little clearer, like she had found a way to break through the surface of the waves that were drowning her just that morning as she stood beside him during Leah's funeral, fingers tightly squeezing his hand till his bones started to complain and she relaxed her grip.

Pulling her flush against him, he buried his nose in her hair, inhaling the scent of her and…Jasper.

"You've been visiting with Jasper again."

It wasn't a question or an accusation, merely a statement.

Bella nodded, "He helped ground me, allowed me to deal with some of the pain that I was feeling over losing Leah."

"I'm sorry I can't do more for you," Mat apologized.

It was frustrating to feel helpless, like he couldn't fix the situation but another man could, well another vampire. He knew the connection between Jasper and Bella wasn't sexual or romantic in any way, but the man seemed to know just what to say to her and made her laugh with their interchanges. Mat tried to stomp down the possessive wolf and not become a jealous ass during moments like these.

Pulling back, she placed her fingers over his lips, silencing any further words he would choose to say, "No, no, you do more than I ever expected or thought to hope for, and you haven't complained or criticized how all over the place I've been. You let me be myself and you've shown me that you're the safe place I can rely on, even in this mess we're in. I love you."

Leaning in for a kiss that stretched into several, Mat inhaled and froze, "I love you too, but you know I'm not liking this new smell very much."

Grinning in understanding, Bella backed away and pulled her simple funeral dress over her head, revealing a lacy black bra and bikini set.

"Care to wash off in the river together?"

Seeing that he was already more than half way to a full hard-on, her laughter filled the air as she ran towards the water, knowing he'd be on her in a heartbeat if she didn't make her legs move faster. Teasing him with her body always made the man an animal, one that she'd gladly submit to.

Lounging on the back porch at Sam's place, Bella was perched on the railing and Mat was leaning back on the paint chipped wood beside her. Jacob was explaining to the pack the current situation and that Carlisle had called asking for both sides to come together and meet so there would be no confusion, especially with the human drinkers, as to who was friend and who was foe.

In the two days since Leah's funeral, the number of vampires in the area had increased to sixteen in number, but the wolves had experienced some changes as well. Both Quil and Embry found imprints in Leah's female cousins, Hanna and Sara. While the sisters had not been fully informed as to the tribe's legends, they still couldn't refuse the pull to now stay at the reservation and found comfort in having each other to enter this new world with. They'd also welcomed David and Erik as members of the pack. Sam had left Seth and Aidan with the task of watching over the newest changelings, hoping the responsibility would give Seth something to focus his mind on.

Together, they formed a combined horde of 27 supernatural beings.

Bella's thoughts were churning as she gazed at the men surrounding her, knowing their strength was great, but without knowing how many fighters Maria would throw at them, she wondered if it was enough.

"Bella?" Jacob snapped his fingers, trying to get her attention as she had settled into a silent statue, perched like a stone gargoyle on the porch.

"Sorry, Jake, zoned out for a moment there."

"Aren't you supposed to have extremely heightened senses?" Erik questioned, "I mean, what if one of us had tried to attack you, you looked like you were on another planet."

Sighing, Bella reminded herself that the new guys had never had the chance to see the enemy in action, that this was simple curiosity and not some pompous attitude, "Well, I tend to let my guard down a little around here because I know I'm safe on the reservation. But, had you tried to make a move, you're right, I have excellent senses that would have alerted me to the attack and I would have been ready. It's like my mind works on separate things simultaneously, vampires are excellent multi-taskers. So, don't be an idiot and think you can catch one by surprise."

Erik looked skeptical, but in an attempt to prove Bella's point, Paul had slid away from the group, shifted and circled back, trying to leap on Bella as she was finishing her last statement. Hearing and sensing his presence even as she carried on the conversation, Bella had formed a wall as he jumped that the wolf slammed into and the she effectively held him in place. Erik looked past Bella's shoulder, realizing that Bella had never looked backwards or shifted an inch as she deflected Paul's actions. Bella arched an eyebrow at the kid as if to say, _see?_ He just nodded mutely in response.

"What were you asking Jake?"

"I just wanted to know if you're good with these new vampires being around, if you feel comfortable having them beside us in a fight."

"I trust Jasper completely," Bella explained, "and while these strangers are just as foreign to me as they are to you, he insists they're on our side, and so I'm following his guidance."

Jacob leveled a stare at Bella, looking for any doubt in her eyes and finding none, "Okay then, let's roll out."

Since the group had grown in size, they chose a nearby clearing that was large enough to hold both sides. Jacob and Sam remained upright, walking with Bella to meet the newest Forks' residents.

Introductions were quick, both groups sizing the other up. Jasper didn't want to back down from their recent training exercises, but felt today would just be about meeting one another.

Bella watched as a red-eyed man with bronze hair tucked under a cowboy hat walked towards her. While his exposed forearms were scarred, and his build was rather thick, he was still about an inch shorter than her, which for some reason she found surprising. She had always assumed that vampire males would always be taller than the females, but realized that was stupid, as there had to be some variety in shapes and sizes as much as any other race.

Standing next to Jasper, a toothpick clinched between his teeth, he spoke out of the side of his mouth, "She doesn't look very scary…I don't know, I was just expecting… something more if Maria's getting so worked up."

Bella bristled at the comment and snarked back, "Well, I wasn't expecting to meet a red-eyed dwarf when the sun rose this morning, so count us both surprised by the unexpected."

Jasper rolled his eyes, "Peter, Bella…"

Looking at Jasper as if to say 'what?' Bella had turned her attention away from Jasper's best friend giving the other man an opening to try and leap towards her. Bella slammed him back and pounced on top of him, baring her teeth.

"Can you do any type of fighting that doesn't rely on that handy dandy force field you've got going, darlin'?" he taunted

Growling and pulling back her shield at Peter's challenge, still pinning him down, Bella spit out, "I'm not your darling."

Peter laughed and flipped her over his head easily before jumping up from the ground. Bella twisted around and pushed into him as he charged at her, using her low-shouldered stance as a way to vault him over her back as she took off towards the trees. Hearing him chase after her, she examined the landscape for her next move.

Wolves and vampires watched with interest, the show between these two a welcome distraction. Mat stepped up beside Jasper, a low rumble coming from him.

"Yeah, I know, they're both idiots," Jasper agreed.

Bella intentionally slowed her run, hoping Peter would think he was gaining on her, when she picked up a thick broken tree branch and swung it around in a wide arc, taking the vampire by surprise and hearing the wood splinter as it came in contact with the his head, knocking Peter over. Wolves chuckled while Emmett and Garrett howled with laughter at the move.

Peter leapt up and faced Bella who still had a length of wood in her hand like a sword. He half smiled before charging and leaping over her head at the last moment, pulled himself up onto a low tree branch before ripping off a thick limb and jumping down to face her, armed with weapon as well. She swung, he blocked; he thrust, she spun past him. He'd land a blow to the back of her knees, causing her to fall and when he approached, she'd push her elbow back into his gut while spinning around to grab his head by the ears and slamming it with her own, crashing into his nose.

When Peter had pinned her down on the ground, Jasper interrupted, "Would you two knock it the fuck off?"

Peter's hands were at Bella's neck while she was trying to push his head off with the heel of her hand, pushing his chin backwards at an unnatural angle. They both stopped and looked over at where Jasper was standing, arms crossed, face like that of a scolding parent. Peter looked back at Bella and they both started to snicker.

And with a chime of, "Yes, dad," they both burst into a fit of laughter, friendship formed easily between the two.

Peter helped Bella up and walking past Jasper with heads hung in mock shame, grinning like cats who lapped up every last lick of cream, they rejoined the rest of the group, trying to knock each other over the entire way back.

**A/N: What can I say, I like Jasper and Peter. I'd much rather have fun messing around with the boys than paint your nails and shopping with the girls. Hopefully, you liked a little picture of the friendships forming as well. Xoxo- Ginja**


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